The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has issued an appeal for information after a post mortem confirmed that a rare bird of prey found dead on a Scottish grouse moor had been illegally shot.
According to the RSPB Scotland the young female hen harrier, which had been named “Annie” by conservationists and was fitted with a satellite transmitter, was illegally shot on a grouse moor in south-west Scotland in late April.
Scientists became concerned in March, when tracking data confirmed the rare bird had stopped moving. An extensive search by conservationist and Police Scotland, recovered the body at the end of April but only now have scientists confirmed that the bird was illegally shot.
Annie was found dead on the grouse moor in April
The bird was tagged as a chick as part of the Langholm Moor Demontration Project. Its shooting following a string of hen harrier disappearances and nest failures in England this summer. These prompted claims by the RSPB that the endangered bird, which feeds on grouse chicks and is known for its beautiful aerial displays, is facing “extinction by persecution”.
Stuart Housden, Director of RSPB Scotland, said: “This case shows very clearly what happens to some of our hen harriers when they leave protected nesting areas and move around the UK’s uplands. This is just the latest incident of criminal persecution of this species, following the confirmed shooting of birds in Aberdeenshire, Moray and Ayrshire in the last two years. It is little wonder these magnificent raptors continue to be absent from large areas of our uplands."
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This spring two male hen harrier mysteriously disappeared from their nests at the RSPB’s Geltsdale reserve in England, which is just 25 miles to the south of Langholm Moor.
Of all the UK’s protected birds of prey, the hen harrier is among the most persecuted. The population is Scotland is improving, but despite a Government study showing suitable habitat for 300 breeding pairs in England, only four sets of birds bred successfully last year. Spencer Murphy's portraits of birds of prey
According to the RSPB, hen harrier numbers declined 20 per cent between 2004 and 2010, however the timing of the appeal, the day before the so-called Glorious Twelfth, the start of the grouse shooting season, is likely to be questioned by members of the shooting lobby.
