Persecution and poisoning of birds of prey remains high, according to the 2021 RSPB Bird Crime report – which lays most of the blame on the shooting industry. Mark Rowe reports
BEHIND THE HEADLINES
HOW MANY RAPTORS WERE ILLEGALLY KILLED IN 2021?
The RSPB has documented 108 confirmed incidents, expected to rise as data comes in, and most involve the shooting, trapping and poisoning of protected birds of prey. The number is superseded only by 2020’s unprecedented surge of 146 incidents, which was partly attributed to surveillance becoming harder during Covid-19 lockdowns. The pre-pandemic figures were 64 in 2015, 87 in 2018, and 85 in 2019. England alone saw 80 incidents in 2021: the second-highest figure on record.
WHICH SPECIES HAVE BEEN TARGETED?
Deaths include 50 buzzards, 16 red kites, seven peregrines and three goshawks. Rare hen harriers, golden eagles and white-tailed eagles continue to be affected. In Scotland, a golden eagle was found poisoned in the Cairngorms National Park; 68 golden eagles have been illegally killed in Scotland since 1981. “The figures are a fraction of the true number,” says Mark Thomas, head of RSPB investigations. “When tagged birds are targeted they simply stop moving or the tag stops working. But tagged birds are a fraction of the wider raptor population. Many, many more untagged birds are illegally killed.”
In focus: the hen harrier
Persecution continues to affect the recovery of hen harriers, according to the RSPB report: “Reports for over two decades have identified persecution as the main factor suppressing the UK hen harrier population.” GPS satellite tagging continues to reveal suspicious disappearances of young hen harriers, including Asta, whose government-funded tag was later found attached to a dead crow. Her body was never recovered. The RSPB says the circumstances were “highly suspicious”. The Moorland Association’s Amanda Anderson says: “The breeding success of hen harriers in the uplands – the best for generations – is a real cause for celebration. Land managed for grouse is a haven for birds of prey.”
WHO IS TO BLAME?
According to the RSPB, 71% of incidents relate to game-bird shooting. “Birds of prey are persecuted because they are perceived to be a threat to the stocks of pheasants, partridges and red grouse,” says the report.
The two worst counties based on 2021 da
