Raptor Persecution UK (2024)

17/08/2024

Hunt saboteurs disrupted a grouse shoot on Stean Moor in Nidderdale, North Yorkshire yesterday.

This follows on from their visit to Wemmergill Estate on where they shut down another grouse shoot.

Photo by Sheffield Hunt Sabs

Following the disruption of a grouse shoot on Wemmergill Estate in County Durham on the Inglorious 12th (see here), the Hunt Saboteurs were out again yesterday and this time managed to disrupt a gr…

16/08/2024

Has the hen harrier brood meddling sham finally collapsed?

New blog 👇👇

Over the last few months I’ve heard from various well-placed sources that hen harrier brood meddling has not taken place this year. For new blog readers, hen harrier brood meddling is a conse…

15/08/2024

Grouse moor protest walk, Peak District National Park, Sunday 18 August 2024.

Meet at 11am, Redmires Reservoir Car Park (S10 4QZ) for a peaceful walk across the moor. Bring food & drink but no dogs please.

There’s another opportunity for peacefully demonstrating against grouse shooting this weekend, with a moorland walk in the Peak District National Park, a few miles west of Sheffield. This now…

14/08/2024

Man charged in connection to dumped hares & raptors outside community shop in Broughton, Hampshire.

NB: Comments turned off as proceedings are now live. Important not to jeopardise this case.

Details 👇👇

Press release from Hampshire Constabulary (13 August 2024): MAN CHARGED IN CONNECTION WITH BROUGHTON WILDLIFE CRIME INVESTIGATION A man has been charged in connection with an incident in which dead…

12/08/2024

Hunt Sabs disrupt grouse shoot on Wemmergill Estate, Co Durham.

New blog 👇👇

As they’ve done in previous years (e.g. see here), members of the Hunt Saboteurs Association were out in force today in northern England to disrupt grouse shooting on the Inglorious 12th. Tod…

12/08/2024

No red grouse to shoot at on ? Grouse moor owners releasing non-native red-legged partridges as alternative quarry.

Strangely, the grouse shooting industry v quiet on this, instead claiming financial ruin for rural economy.

New blog 👇👇

Today marks the opening of the red grouse shooting season (the Inglorious 12th) and the media is full of ‘woe is us’ stories from the grouse shooting industry claiming that the lack of …

11/08/2024

'It's all so unfair!' - shooting organisations still whining about new grouse moor licences in Scotland.

Apparently it's "unfair" that estates might be sanctioned for offences other than raptor persecution, such as badger persecution or fox hunting! 👇👇

Apparently there won’t be much grouse shooting taking place this year when the season opens on Monday (12th August). According to various reports from the grouse shooting industry, this is du…

08/08/2024

NatureScot provides clarification on its framework for suspending new grouse shoot licences.

Some reassurances but elements of doubt remain.

New blog 👇👇

Last month I raised concerns about NatureScot’s proposed framework that it will use when making decisions about whether to modify, suspend or revoke the new grouse shoot licences that form pa…

07/08/2024

Four young hen harriers satellite-tagged after crowdfunding by wildlife charity Hen Harrier Action.

Further details 👇👇

Press release from Hen Harrier Action, 7th August 2024: FOUR YOUNG HEN HARRIERS SATELLITE TAGGED THANKS TO GENEROSITY OF WILDLIFE CHARITY SUPPORTERS Uplands conservation charity Hen Harrier Action …

03/08/2024

Sparrowhawk shot in Chesterfield - Derbyshire Police appeal for information.

Believed to have been shot with an air rifle, the sparrowhawk didn't survive its injuries.

Details 👇👇

Derbyshire Police are appealing for information after a sparrowhawk died from gunshot injuries. The injured sparrowhawk was found by a member of the public on 24 July 2024 in the Walton area of Che…

02/08/2024

Criminal investigations into deaths of two Hen Harriers - one in Northumberland, one in Devon.

Are new DEFRA Ministers Mary Creagh and Sue Hayman going to stand up to the raptor killers? No vested interests with these ministers so no reason for them to continue the wilful blindness of their Tory predecessors...

Details 👇👇

Two criminal investigations are underway following the discovery of two dead hen harriers earlier this spring. According to Natural England’s most recent update on the fates of its satellite-…

01/08/2024

Police call out the Moorland Association for "wasting time & distracting from the real work" of the Hen Harrier Taskforce.

Bravo to that police officer!

Details in blog 👇👇

Last week I blogged about how the Moorland Association (grouse moor owners’ lobby group in England) had been booted off the ‘partnership’ designed to tackle illegal raptor persecu…

01/08/2024

Retirement for RSPB's Dave Sexton, the man who put Eagle Island (Mull) on the tourism map.

Well done, Dave, & thanks for your outstanding contribution.

Dave reflects on his role 👇👇

Dave Sexton, the RSPB’s Mull Officer, is retiring after spending over two decades leading the local community’s efforts to protect the island’s famous White-tailed and Golden eagl…

31/07/2024

"The Glorious Twelfth is a celebration of licensed cruelty" - opinion piece in The Times by Robbie Marsland, Director of League Against Cruel Sports (Scotland).

The Times published an opinion piece yesterday written by Robbie Marsland, Director of the League Against Cruel Sports (Scotland) and a founder member of REVIVE, the coalition for grouse moor refor…

29/07/2024

HEN HARRIER DAY: 10th August 2024 at Carsington Water, Derbyshire.

Hope to see you there!

Event details 👇👇

This year is the 10th anniversary of Hen Harrier Day and it’ll be marked by an event at Carsington Water in Derbyshire on Saturday 10th August. This year’s event is organised by the cha…

25/07/2024

Hen Harrier breeding success continues on community-owned Tarras Valley Nature Reserve.

You know, the place the Scottish Gamekeepers Chair told a Parliamentary Committee was "a species desert" & "there is nothing there at all".

New blog 👇👇

Eight hen harrier chicks have fledged on the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve this year, continuing to buck the trend in south Scotland. The results of last year’s national Hen Harrier Survey dem…

23/07/2024

Moorland Association booted off the Raptor Persecution Priority Delivery Group (RPPDG) after appearing to sabotage police efforts to tackle hen harrier persecution on English grouse moors.

Excellent news!

Details 👇👇

Some excellent news! The grouse moor owners’ lobby group in England, the Moorland Association, has at long last been booted off the Raptor Persecution Priority Delivery Group (RPPDG), the so-…

21/07/2024

Man charged with shooting Tawny Owl & Woodpigeon & dumping them in a wheelie bin.

Details 👇👇

A man has been charged with killing two wild birds with an air rifle after police received reports of someone seen dumping a Tawny Owl and a Woodpigeon in a wheelie bin in Colne, Lancashire, in Mar…

20/07/2024

Poisoned buzzard leads to discovery of multiple pesticide offences - Ashley Game Farm & Director Christopher Hodgson fined £40,000+.

Excellent partnership working to get this result 👏

Has anyone seen any condemnation from game shooting industry orgs?

Press release from RSPB (18th July 2024): POISONED BUZZARD LEADS TO ASHLEY GAME FARM & THE COMPANY’S DIRECTOR PAYING OVER £40,000 IN FINES The discovery of a poisoned Buzzard next to a po…

18/07/2024

Grouse moor licensing: NatureScot provides grouse moor owners with a massive 'get out of jail free' card.

What the actual...

New blog 👇👇

The Wildlife Management & Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024, passed by the Scottish Parliament in March 2024, introduces a grouse moor licensing scheme in Scotland which begins in August. For new re…

17/07/2024

General Licence restriction imposed on Lochindorb, a grouse-shooting estate on edge of National Park after evidence of raptor persecution.

Details 👇👇

Statement from NatureScot, 17 July 2024: GENERAL LICENCE RESTRICTED ON CAIRNGORMS ESTATE NatureScot has restricted the use of general licences on Lochindorb Estate, near Grantown-on-Spey, for three…

17/07/2024

Is the Moorland Association already trying to sabotage the police's new National Hen Harrier Taskforce?

Might this be the one step too far that results in consequences for them?

New blog 👇👇

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about the new National Hen Harrier Taskforce – a police-led initiative to tackle the ongoing persecution of hen harriers on driven grouse moors (see here). Thi…

16/07/2024

Why Scottish grouse moors will have to stop slaughtering golden eagles - my opinion piece in The Scotsman 👇👇

The Scotsman has published my opinion piece today about the potential impact of the new licensing scheme for grouse shooting in Scotland. You can read it on The Scotsman website (here) and it& #8217…

08/07/2024

YOUR HELP NEEDED - Save Stobo Hope from commercial forestry project.

Important moorland in Scottish Borders, home to Golden Eagles & Black Grouse, under threat. Local campaigners taking Scottish Forestry to court.

Campaign details & link to crowdfunder 👇👇

Stobo Hope is a valuable moorland habitat near Peebles in the Scottish Borders, part of a landscape designated as a National Scenic Area. It’s an important site for a number of species, not l…

03/07/2024

NatureScot publishes draft Code of Practice for Grouse Moor Management.

Includes many good aspects but some fundamentals are missing.

New blog 👇👇

Further to last week’s blog about the commencement legislation being published for the Wildlife Management & Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024 (see here), NatureScot has now published its draf…

29/06/2024

Welsh wildlife photographer convicted for disturbing Honey Buzzard nest without a licence ⚖️

Case details 👇👇

Press release from South Wales Police (28 June 2024): NEATH MAN GUILTY OF DISTURBING RARE BIRDS OF PREY A 68-year-old man from Neath has appeared before Swansea Magistrates Court where he was found…

28/06/2024

Goshawk nest abandoned in Cairngorms National Park after shotgun attack - Police Scotland appeal for information.

Details 👇👇

Press release from Police Scotland (28 June 2024): APPEAL FOR INFORMATION AFTER GOSHAWK NEST FOUND ABANDONED NEAR LOCH GYNACK Police are appealing for information after a suspected attempt to targe…

28/06/2024

Police launch National Hen Harrier Taskforce to tackle illegal persecution on grouse moors.

Same old, same old, or something new & innovative?

New blog 👇👇

Blog readers may recall a press release in April 2024 from North Yorkshire Police detailing the ex*****on of a search warrant on an unnamed grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, in rela…

28/06/2024

Job opportunity: 6 x Licensing Officers at NatureScot in anticipation of increasing licensing responsibilities, not least the introduction of licences for grouse shooting & muirburn.

£31,719 pa, closing date 12 July 2024.

3 positions are temporary (until 31 March 2025) and 3 positions are permanent.

For more details & to apply, see here 👇👇

NatureScot is advertising six Licensing Officer posts in anticipation of its increased workload, not least the forthcoming grouse moor management licences that have been introduced through the Wild…

27/06/2024

Scottish Gamekeepers Association petition seeking 'recognition' crashes & burns - misogynistic abuse of politicians won't have helped their case!

New blog 👇👇

The Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) has a track record of submitting pointless petitions to the Scottish Parliament that needlessly tie up valuable parliamentary time (e.g. see here). [& #821…

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