According to the Carluke Gazette: About 5.15pm on May 4, Police Scotland received a report regarding a male who shot and killed a Hen Harrier, near to the B7040 from Leadhills to Elvanfoot. Inspector Martin Speirs is reported to have said: ‘A number of witnesses have come forward, and significant enquiry is underway. I urge…
Tag: hen harrier
‘The’ book on the Hen Harrier
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Bloomsbury (of which Poyser is now a part) are reissuing Donald Watson’s classic book on the Hen Harrier this summer. My copy of the book sits within reach on my desk right now and it was the first Christmas present that my then girlfriend, now wife, gave me, very nearly 40 years ago. Watson’s…
A recap
I’m sure the Scottish government, the SNP, the Scottish Gamekeepers Organisation and Scottish Land and Estates wish that these images would go away – but we should make sure that they are kept in the public domain. They illustrate the failure of wildlife protection in Scotland. The bird that flies through this video and then…
Live in Scotland? Then put pressure on the SNP.
The recent debacle in the Scottish legal and conservation system over the four-year delay in doing nothing (!) over the illegal alleged killing of a Hen Harrier is a matter for Scottish legal officers and Scottish nature conservationists to sort out with the help and support of Scottish politicians. The female Hen Harrier that…
Nature being let down by the system
I’m not entirely sure which shocks me the most – the deed itself or the inability of the conservation, political and legal systems to deal with it. The video released today by the RSPB is nearly four years old. It seems to show a Hen Harrier being flushed off the nest and shot. The RSPB…
RSPB video of Hen Harrier at Cabrach
On 10 June 2013 an RSPB nest camera filmed the following footage at a Hen Harrier nest on the Cabrach Estate in Morayshire. The only good thing about the dropping of the case after so many years (and years, and years) is that you can now see the evidence of the video footage for yourself….
RSPB press release
Alleged illegal killing of a protected hen harrier Court proceedings against a former gamekeeper, accused of shooting a protected hen harrier, have been dropped by the Crown Office, who have indicated that after considering all of the relevant material they could not use RSPB Scotland video evidence to support the prosecution in court. Since the…
A general election for the environment?
Have you spotted that there is going to be a UK general election this June? I bet you have. This will allow all the political parties to set out their environmental policies so that we can choose between them – in theory. Don’t hold your breath! I will be rather surprised if Labour has any…
The RSPB on driven grouse shooting
Martin Harper has penned (or keyboarded) an interesting BB eye in this month’s British Birds magazine. It is entitled ‘Why it is in the driven grouse industry’s interest to clean up its own act’ and it rehearses the long list of ills with intensive management of driven grouse moors with which so many of us…
Various
About this blog: innovation #1 – I’m pleased to say that this blog will be featuring some work from famous cartoonist Paul Thomas over the next few weeks to give it a wider airing. Paul is an author (see review of his book here), a witty presence on Twitter (@paulthomas992) and his work has appeared…