Recovered satellite tag provides answer to what happens when birds of prey ‘disappear’ on Scotland’s grouse moors
A satellite tag removed from a ‘disappeared’ golden eagle has been recovered from a Highland river.
The discovery sheds new light on the activities that criminals will go to in a bid to cover up the illegal killing of protected birds of prey.
In 2016 the bird’s tag stopped transmitting suddenly on a grouse moor in Perthshire and despite searches by Police and RSPB Scotland, it was never traced.
Now the tag has been found – wrapped in heavy lead sheeting and disposed of at a popular beauty spot just a few miles from the last known location of the bird.
The recovered tag is further evidence in just how far criminals who routinely kill birds of prey are going to in a bid to cover their tracks and to present driven grouse shooting as a clean industry.
The object was spotted by a walker and his son on the banks of the River Braan near Dunkeld in Perthshire on 21 May.
On closer examination, they found the tag wrapped in a piece of lead sheeting. The tag bore a label bearing contact details and a serial number, subsequently allowing the police and RSPB to jointly attend recover and identify the object.
Police Scotland have since held the tag for several months to conduct forensic analysis, which is ongoing.
After fledging from its nest, this young eagle had remained on its parents’ territory until November 2014. Over the following 18 months, it explored Scotland’s uplands before it moved into Strathbraan. Within a few days of arriving here, on 1st May 2016 his tag, that had been functioning exactly as would have expected, suddenly and inexplicably stopped. It was suspected that the bird had been killed, and the tag destroyed.
As with all such cases, this suspicious disappearance was reported to the police. A search of the land around the bird’s last known location on a remote hill took place and the disappearance was discussed with local land managers. No evidence of what had happened to the bird was uncovered.
Ian Thomson, RSPB Scotland’s Head of Investigations said: “As is the case in virtually every raptor persecution investigation, nobody seemed to know anything and, as is the case with every suspicious satellite tagged raptor disappearance on a grouse moor, spurious alternative theories as to what may have happened to the bird and tag were suggested. However, now we know the truth.
This young eagle was killed illegally. The tag was clearly removed from the bird, its antenna was cut off, and the tag was then wrapped in a piece of lead sheeting, presumably because the perpetrator thought this would stop it transmitting. The package was then cast into the river, never to be seen again. Or so they thought.
This discovery gives unequivocal proof not only of what is happening to these birds, but also the lengths to which the criminals involved in the killing of our raptors will go to dispose of evidence and evade justice. It is not unreasonable to conclude that the vast majority of other birds of prey and their tags that have disappeared on Scotland’s grouse moors have suffered similar fates.”
Satellite-tags are used by biological researchers throughout the world to track the movements of animals and birds, from vultures to elephants, and have a proven high reliability. In the UK, their use on birds is strictly regulated by the British Trust for Ornithology and the Government’s statutory nature conservation agencies, with individual projects and taggers requiring demonstrable training and experience and only then under specific licences.
Duncan Orr-Ewing, a member of the Central Scotland Raptor Study Group and RSPB Scotland’s Head of Species and Land Management, said: “The number of satellite tags fitted to raptors, functioning exactly as expected, only to have stopped suddenly on a grouse moor, is an issue of increasing public concern, as evidenced by the Scottish Government commissioning of a review of the fates of satellite-tagged golden eagles, published three years ago.”
It has long been suspected that tags are routinely destroyed by wildlife criminals in a deliberate attempt to conceal evidence. There is no other reasonable explanation as to why this tag has ended up in the river where it was found, wrapped in metal, and with the harness and antenna cut. For me this incident is doubly distressing as it is a bird that I tagged with a colleague in 2014, and it originates from a nest site in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park where there has been a long history of local community protection from egg collectors.
More disappearances of tagged birds this year, as well as shooting and poisoning cases, destroy any pretence that the grouse shooting industry is able to self-regulate, even during a national pandemic. It is abundantly clear that the only way to stop this culturally ingrained and organised criminality against Scotland’s protected raptors is through robust, and immediate, regulation. We call upon the Scottish Government to prioritise this as their response to the Werritty Review.”
Ends
Mark writes: what an amazing story and a chance insight into the criminal activity rife on grouse moors across the UK.
Let’s just go back to basics though. A young Golden Eagle which had fledged in 2014 had been flying around Scotland, learning the lie of the land, perfecting its hunting techniques, probably feeding off Red Grouse, Ptarmigan and Mountain Hares, as well as carrion from dead sheep and deer, made the mistake of visiting an area known to us but not to him as a raptor persecution hotspot. To that young Golden Eagle it probably looked like a great place to settle down, for one thing there weren’t resident pairs of Golden Eagles present. This probably looked like prime real estate.
But this visit was a lethal mistake. We don’t know what happened to the Golden Eagle but it didn’t wrap its own satellite tag up in lead and throw it in the river, did it?
We know the common link between disappearances of birds of prey – criminal activity on grouse moors. And we know that more Golden Eagles, White-tailed Eagles, Hen Harriers, Peregrines, Red Kites, Goshawks and Buzzards will be killed on grouse moors across the UK unless politicians act.
In England, the Government acts as though grouse moor owners can do no wrong in their eyes, but then the Westminster government’s eyes are turned away in wilful blindness. In Scotland, the government response to the weak Werritty report is overdue. Licensing of grouse shooting is not enough, but it is the least we should expect from Nicola Sturgeon and Roseanna Cunningham, and very soon. And not delayed but being brought in immediately.
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‘ but it didn’t wrap its own satellite tag up in lead and throw it in the river, did it?’
I made my comment on RPUK before reading this! Honest guv.
Absolutely right Mark. It is high time the Scottish Government put in place legislation to prevent this nasty work by the criminals that are associated with Driven Grouse Shooting. The discovery of the tag is at least more proof, if it was needed, as to the lengths to which these criminals will go. Our Tory Westminster politicians especially Defra and also Natural England are really “ beyond the pail”. In allying themselves with the shooting industry, which is rotten to the core, they participate in the destruction of our wildlife and disgrace this country.
Come on the Scottish Government let’s have some tough new legislation for grouse moors at least designed to halt all this criminal activity. Show that Scotland is a much more decent country presided over by a much more decent Government than the rotten one down south.
An area notorious for raptor killing for decades..and of course for the recent quasi legal raven culling. Any civilised society would have dealt with this a long time ago by proper funding and political support of investigating agencies, removal of licences and the total shunning and sanctioning of the system that encourages these crimes. What sort of country cant even protect its most iconic native wildlife?
Its not society that is not civilised it is just sections of it that will do anything for financial gain the trouble is that government is part of this sickness and until this brought to the attention of the wider public we will all be losers .
All this stuff is illegal already. Calls for “tough new laws” are a knee-jerk reaction and risk the proliferation of tough new bits of paper. There won’t be any progress until corruption among national and local politicians, judiciary and police is eliminated. As those are among the oldest professions the outlook for progress is bleak
The only option for apologists for the shooting industry seems to be to claim that this was deviously planted evidence to make them look bad (again). If so it must be just about the most inept, ill-considered and poorly executed attempt to frame anyone in history. Yes, it’s also probably not the best way to dispose of evidence but when you’re used to getting away with things you tend to get sloppy. I also sense a dramatic, ritualised element to the disposal which fits the mentality of those wrapped up in illegal clandestine activities.
I would think that most of the time it is a pretty effective way of disposing of the evidence. The perpetrator probably didn’t expect the river to be running so low four years after he (I’m assuming it’s a he) killed the bird. No doubt a stretch of river or loch less frequented by the public would have been a better place to choose from the perpetrators point of view but I very much doubt he had the the slightest concern that the tag would ever see the light of day again. Those apologists who are seeking to suggest that this is some kind of plot to frame the/an estate are asking us to believe a much less plausible theory.
“a dramatic, ritualised … disposal”
A calling card; a horse’s head on a pillow
Instead of making half-arsed statements like ‘tut-tut’ and ‘oh dear’ the Scottish government needs to do something useful to end this now and forever.
Well said !
It will be interesting to see the Scottish government response to this. More weasle words and foot dragging?
I believe that this is what is termed a “smoking gun’.
I am not against hunting and shooting. What I am against is organised shoots where game is systematically slaughtered by organised bodies for the gratification of people that will not spend days on there own and have to carry back what they shoot and gut and pluck them. I never shot more than I could eat and had some very uncomfortable days stalking and hunting and never got anything absolutely memorable never to be missed
John – thank you for your first comment here.
These are horrific crimes and think I and lots of others think Wild Justice is probably the best help for our raptors.
Simple solution just end grouse shooting or if land owners would prefer end shooting in areas where satellite tags stop transmitting. Then landowners will be incentivised to protect raptors. There will be some genuine accidents but I say tough the cards have been stacked against wildlife for many years.
John – thank you for your first comment here.
Any estates that have had raptors persecuted or killed should be banned from grouse shooting and the Lord or owner fined heavely, gamekeeper prosecuted they get away with it now because in the 21st century there is still a US and them society, shameful
Who owns the land from which this eagle’s last transmission emanated?
Might be a good time to buy a new pair of Speedo’s (the old faithfuls will be a bit tight) and do a bit of deep- diving in one or two reservoirs in the North Pennines. Smiddy Shaw is nice this time of year. Just a thought.
We stopped at Dunkeld ,briefly, on our way north on the 15th of this month.
The river looks like it could shift a bit of stuff in the winter, this could have originated upstream
from where it was found, doesn’t alter a great deal mind you.
Stop grouse shooting .Rewild golf courses. Come on , we need to urgently act now . The usual, profit before compassion. All about finance and making more money . Instead of grouse shooting and deer stalking and other blood sports, Scotland could profit in other ways, by letting people walk, visit and experience it’s natural beauty by guiding, educating and opening up its estates to let people see it’s natural wildlife thriving and the beauty and thrill this brings .
Hear hear Rebecca. I couldn’t put better myself. I actually deleted my post in a similar fashion, but you have said it much more eloquently.
Amanda Anderson….explain this….truthfully.
Andrew Gilruth……….explain this….truthfully.
Makes me want to greet on a number of counts – but mainly because this is allegedly 21st century Scotland and not insignificant field craft would have been employed here. In whose name?