Investigation launched after bird shot dead

25 October 2017 at 1:07pm

Police in East Yorkshire are investigating after a sparrowhawk was found shot dead.

Officers say the bird, which had "injuries consistent with being shot with a shotgun", is believed to have been killed around October 16.

The bird was found near to the quarry and Boyes Lane in Keyingham.

Humberside Police say they are treating the death as a wildlife crime and are fully investigating what has happened.

We are appealing for information in relation to the discovery of a dead Sparrowhawk which has injuries consistent with being shot with a shotgun. It is suspected to have been killed on or around October 16 near to the quarry and Boyes Lane in Keyingham. We treat the persecution of birds of prey as a wildlife crime and will fully investigate all such incidents.

– A FORCE SPOKESWOMAN

Last updated Wed 25 Oct 2017

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Anger as county’s bird of prey death toll soars

1 day ago / Janet Gleeson, 

NORTH Yorkshire’s reputation as the worst county in the country for the persecution of birds of prey has been further cemented after it emerged a sparrowhawk has been gunned down. 

Police said the latest casualty was targeted in the High Waistgate area at Feldom, near Richmond, close to the Marske to Newsham road, as The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said the killings were becoming an increasing concern. 

The charity has revealed in the last decade more than 100 birds of prey have been deliberately targeted in the county. 

The sparrowhawk was found dead in the last week of April. In the same area last year a buzzard’s nest was found demolished. 

Tests were carried out by a local vet for the police and x-rays of the bird found it had been shot, with gunshot pellets found in the Sparrowhawk’s body and wings 

Wildlife crime officer PC Mark Wood said: “Killing a bird of prey like this is an offence, and I am appealing to anyone who knows anything about this incident to come forward.” 

The death comes just six weeks after a red kite, was found with lead shot in its body in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, near Greenhow, in Nidderdale. It was the ninth killed in the region in the past few months and the sixth in North Yorkshire. 

In February, another red kite was found with its wing shattered by shot near Harrogate. 

Jenny Shelton, investigations liaison officer for the RSPB, said: “This sparrowhawk is yet another victim in a shocking catalogue of incidents of bird of prey persecution in North Yorkshire. In the last ten years there have been 105 confirmed raptor persecution incidents in North Yorkshire, making it consistently the worst county for crimes against birds of prey. Red kites, owls and buzzards are also being targeted. Sparrowhawks are exciting birds to see and bring a touch of drama when they swoop in on a seemingly tranquil garden scene. Unlike most birds of prey, these are raptors you might see from your kitchen window as they ambush a flock of unsuspecting sparrows, their yellow eyes flashing. This latest incident shows how wildlife crime doesn’t just affect rare birds in remote places, but garden favourites like the sparrowhawk. It is a big problem and causing increasing local concern, it simply cannot continue.’ 

Continued 

Sparrowhawk Down: Kendal traffic at standstill as man retrieves bird of prey trapped in car grille

Updated 12:27pm Thursday 3rd July 2014 in NewsBy Patrick Christys, Reporter

KENDAL’S rush hour traffic came to a standstill on Stricklandgate as a hawk-eyed pedestrian sprung into action.

Stunned motorists watched in amazement as Cleveland Wilson, 66, ran into the road near McDonald’s and started scratching at the front of a car.

Mr Wilson, who has been a member of the RSPB for many years, then emerged from the front of the vehicle clutching a sparrow hawk in his hands.

“I had a look and saw this bird sticking out the grille and I could see it was alive,” said Mr Wilson. “The traffic had stopped so I got down on my knees and pulled it out.”

Continued

BIRD RESCUE: Sparrowhawk trapped inside Bolton furniture factory

6:00am Thursday 13th March 2014 in News

Exclusive By Neil Robertson, reporter

A BOLTON factory has attracted an employee with a difference — a female sparrowhawk.

The bird flew into the premises of Heightvale Ltd on Monday morning as it chased a pigeon in through a goods delivery door.

The pigeon evaded its talons and the falcon could not find its way out again.

Staff at the factory on the Spa Road Industrial Estate, near the town centre, have been trying to free the bird by offering it chunks of meat, but have so far been unsuccessful.

Yesterday, experts from North Wales Bird Trust’s Lancashire hub in Rossendale visited the factory to try to free it.

Business development manager James White, from the building contractor firm, said: “We’re trying to get the bird out, but we don’t want it to get frightened or agitated.

Continued

BTO: There’s a new killer in our gardens

Published on the 09 February 2014 

A rattle of alarm calls and a blur of wings sees an explosion of small birds away from bird tables and hanging feeders, writes the BTO’s Mike Toms.

Seconds later and a sparrowhawk swoops through the garden, shifting its course slightly to miss the apple tree and to lift up, over the fence, and away. The sparrowhawk is a relatively new presence in this urban garden, a sure sign that the population has recovered from the impacts of agricultural pesticides, like DDT, that brought about significant population declines across the eastern counties, just a few decades ago.

Read on