The annual RSPB Birdcrime report is published online today – much of the meat of the report is in the Appendices (which I almost missed – search them out). There is a wealth of detail there, including this updated graph which should be widely copied and reused by all.
But it is essentially, and sadly, the same old story of the RSPB stamping its foot and saying ‘something should be done about this’ (where the something is licensing) and the shooting industry going ‘nothing to see here mate – it’s not us, probably never happens’ and governments apparently siding with the criminals and doing nothing or nothing much.
A report on 2019 which, in October 2020, tells the world about the scientific analysis of Hen Harrier disappearances (from 19 March 2019, reported on the day on this blog and elsewhere) looks a bit off the pace. If the BTO can analyse thousands of recorders’ bird records and produce a report in May the following year it puzzles me that an update on bird crime, with 85 confirmed incidents, takes until October. And there are some glitches in the report too; Werritty is spelled wrongly (I’ve done it too in the past), the ‘Read more’ link on p10 leads to the wrong place, the e-action this year didn’t send messages just to MPs and there is scant mention of anyone else involved in this area of work.
The message is that the law has failed our birds of prey apparently – but the law is fine isn’t it? It’s the lack of enforcement that is the problem and that is due to lack of resources, training and this whole area being treated as a low priority by government. A five-year push on banging up the criminals would sort this problem out for much longer than a few years.
Elsewhere we are told that self-regulation by shooters has failed, and that is certainly true but it’s unkind to call it a failure because they haven’t really been trying have they?
This report feels a bit thin and a bit tired, but that may just be me (although not so much of the thin), because none of this is new to me. The fact that the RSPB are in the papers and on TV and radio today talking about bird of prey persecution, potentially to millions of people who are otherwise unaware that it is going on is really important.
We’re all looking forward to the announcement at the RSPB AGM in nine days’ time of the results of the RSPB’s policy review. I suspect the RSPB Investigations staff are also looking forward to it. Maybe this report could have had a different angle if it had been held back for another fortnight – but would it have been stronger or weaker?
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Very well done RSPB for publishing this report in, I am sure, very difficult working circumstances over recent months. I am sure the difficulties in operating a very good investigations team are the reason it may seem a bit thin this year. However the most important thing is that it is published on time.
Regulation by the shooters has certainly failed. It never even began or got off the ground. However the big missing factor in all this is the will and determination to eradicate criminality and this can only really come from the UK Government(s). This has spectacularly failed to be provided.. Special failure must be attributed to the Westminster Government. Any other form of criminality the Tories would have been down on like a tonne of bricks but not when it is associated with the shooting industry because that harbours their cronies and allies. What a disgrace they are and what hypocrites.
As well as the graph, is there a list of the people who employed the people who committed the crimes? (And their donations to the Tory party?)
In fact donations to any political party, but I bet I know where most of them go.
I would like to see lands donated to by the crown in previous generations monitored and put on a climate change and biodiversity league table with targets for improvements. Any land owner where biodiversity targets are not met should lose the right to own and manage it. One measure would be loss of raptors under suspicious curcumstances. A fitting gesture by the crown could involve the land being long leased to the forestry commission, wildlife charities, re wilding or re forestation projects.
It’s such a shame as the wildlife impact is definitely impacted on the moors especially up here .. I haven’t seen a single Lizard, slow worm or adder on the moors this year !!
A comment from a friend who spends a great deal of time in the environment
They also say that brood meddling releases the chicks away from grouse moors. Is this correct? I am sure i have read in several places that they have to be released back near where they were hatched and that it was even supposed to be in place.
Have the goal posts been moved yet again?
Prasad – if the chicks were removed from an SPA they must be released within the same SPA (but the SPAs are quite big). So they will be released, usually, on or withing sight of a grosue moor. And from what I know, that has generally been the case so far.
Thanks. The RSPB report says ‘then releasing them into suitable habitat away from grouse moors.’
I think i read something similar elsewhere, in the last year or so, and also commented on that too but can’t remember where. I think it may have been in a newspaper article.