11 Replies to “Tim Melling – Hen Harrier with Maltese moult?”

  1. WE always assumed that such “Malta moult” was shot damage. If that is the case one can assume that some folk are happy committing a criminal act probably on these very same grouse moors despite their representative bodies claiming zero tolerance to such criminal acts. It will be interesting to see whether the shooting bodies particularly the MA and possibly the YDNP authorities given the recent filmed Buzzard shooting on a grouse moor in the YDNP. Zero tolerance, as Jim Royle would say ” My arse.”

  4. There’s a big gap where most of several primary feathers are missing, and then several of the outer primaries are missing around a third of their length. I can’t think of anything else that cause this pattern, other than shooting.

  5. I don’t know much about HH, they don’t last long enough on the grouse moors I potter about on. Hopefully they are like Crows and Foxes – once shot at (and missed / peppered) the next time very shy. Maybe this one has learnt to recognise Ford Rangers, Hilux’s & Landrovers with lamps mounted on the cab – and to get hell out of the way when it hears the purring engine of an approaching quad bike.

  6. Perhaps a certain person could do something really useful and ‘fess up to his family’s real attitude to birds of prey, so that we and they can stop pretending that they have conservation at heart.

  7. That gap in the wing feathers is not indicative of being shot at. Birds which are shot generally loose few feathers and they will be from scattered locations around the bird, not concentrated in one particular area to remove all the feathers from that location.

    1. Hi Richard, what you are describing is a bird being hit with a normal choke pattern (improved or 1/4 or even 1/2) at about 25 -30 yds. If we imagine a ‘bad-apple’ with his full or super-full choke semi-auto taking a snap shot at close range (10 -15yds) as the bird whips over his shoulder and perhaps to safety over a wall, you either smash it full in the body or take a chunk out like this, such is the tightness of the shot pattern. I am sure many shooting folk would agree.

  8. Mark…why have you removed my comments…nothing contentious about my remarks ?

    This is the first time you have ever removed one of my comments ?

    1. Richard B – I haven’t – I go to bed earlier than you – and get up earlier! Jumping to the wrong conclusion…

      There is something contentious about your remarks, but this blog copes well with contention.

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