SOME of Scotland’s rarest birds of prey continue to be a target for wildlife crime despite a fall in the number of recorded offences. Species targeted included the golden eagle, red kite, buzzard, peregrine falcon, goshawk, hen harrier and tawny owl.
The number of recorded bird of prey crimes in Scotland decreased from 23 in 2013 to 19 in 2014, with buzzards being the target on five occasions and peregrine falcons the next highest with three crimes.The fall in the number of crimes is expected to continue after gamekeeper George Mutch became the first man to be jailed for killing birds of prey.
He was sentenced to four months imprisonment at Aberdeen Sheriff Court in January. His jailing came just a few weeks after Glasserton estate owner Ninian Stewart became the first landowner to be convicted under the ‘vicarious liability’ rules.
A gamekeeper on his estate poisoned a buzzard in 2012. The new figures published by the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime (PAW) Scotland show six reported bird of prey poisoning incidents in 2014, the same number as in 2013.
Two of these cases remain under live police investigation and no further details have been released. Birds of prey were also targeted for shooting, trapping and disturbance, and the Scottish Government says this is a clear reflection that birds of prey continue to be persecuted in the Scottish countryside, whether by deliberate or accidental means.
The figures include large-scale poisoning incidents around the Conon Bridge area in Ross-shire in the early part of last year. Large rewards were offered for information on the killings, and a £1,000 reward is still on offer for information leading to the arrest of masked men seen shooting at a goshawk’s nest in May of last year.
All the incidents took place on mainland Scotland from around Ross-shire in the north to near Newtown Stewart in the south. Police Scotland and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) between them investigate most of the bird of prey crimes. They are backed by Government agency Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) which has a Pesticide and Wildlife Branch that provides essential support.
Using latest scientific technology, SASA examines bird specimens, suspected baits, suspicious chemicals and poisoning paraphernalia to identify the type of poison, if any, that has been used.Minister for Environment and Climate Change, and Chair of PAW Scotland, Aileen McLeod said: “It is good to see that there has been a reduction in the overall number of crimes in 2014 compared to 2013. However, there is no room for complacency, 2014 saw one of the worst ever poisoning cases with the discovery of 12 dead red kites and four buzzards in Ross-shire, which is why the Scottish Government is continuing to take action to tackle raptor persecution.
“I recently launched a scheme to get rid of illegal pesticides which could be used to poison wildlife. The scheme allows those who know, or suspect they are in possession of certain pesticides which are illegal, to dispose of them safely and confidentially. I have also put in place arrangements to restrict the use of general licences where there is evidence of wildlife crime. In the last few months, we have seen the first ever custodial sentence for the killing of birds of prey and the first conviction of a land owner under the vicarious liability provisions, for crimes committed in 2012. This sends out a clear message to those who continue to pursue these illegal and cruel practices against Scotland’s birds of prey that this will not be tolerated.”
Tim Baynes, moorland group director for Scottish Land and Estates said: “Scottish Land and Estates is delighted that 2014 has seen a fall in bird of prey crimes. The land management community can never take its eye off this issue, but we hope that there will be recognition of the efforts that have been made to ensure a continuing downward trend in incidents related to land management.
“We strongly support the scheme recently launched by the Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform to get rid of illegal pesticides which will help to minimise the risk of any more incidents such as the one in Ross-shire in 2014, where farmers and landowners have offered rewards for information. Scottish Land & Estates will continue to work with other PAWS partners to play its part in ensuring that all types of bird of prey crimes will become a thing of the past.”
Ian Thomson, RSPB Scotland’s head of investigations said: “While we acknowledge numbers of detected poisoning incidents continue to be at relatively low levels, this is only part of the story. While occasionally there are high-profile incidents such as that on the Black Isle, there continues to be a campaign of illegal killing against our protected birds of prey in some areas, as evidenced by the recent film released by (police) showing the systematic targeting of a goshawk nest, and the absence of successfully breeding hen harriers, peregrines and golden eagles in many areas of our uplands.”
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