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Wildlife Extra
Journey's end as red kite is found poisoned
December 2011. Police are appealing for information after one of North Scotland's most adventurous red kites was found poisoned in East Ayrshire.
Shortly after fledging on the Black Isle this summer, the young bird surprised RSPB Scotland staff by immediately flying two hundred miles in just a few days. A satellite transmitter fitted to its back, made it possible to trace the young bird's journey down the west coast of Scotland.
However, staff became concerned in September when transmissions showed that the bird had remained in the same place near Muirkirk for several days.
North Lowther Hills
It was later discovered dead close to the Muirkirk and North Lowther Hills Special Protection Area (SPA), an area of moorland that receives special legal protection because of its breeding bird of prey population.
Subsequent tests by the SASA government laboratory showed it had been poisoned by a banned pesticide.
RSPB Scotland Investigations Officer Ian Thomson said "The poisoning of this red kite is just the latest incident of bird of prey persecution in and around the SPA, particularly involving hen harriers and peregrines. The populations of hen harrier in particular are declining alarmingly in this area. Only a few years ago there were 21 pairs of hen harriers in the SPA; now we are down to a mere handful".
Enquiries by the police are continuing. Anyone with further information regarding this incident is urged to contact Strathclyde Police on 0141 532 2000, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
mediarelease
a century of protection, and the POISONING goes on...
Exactly a century ago, the barbaric acts of putting baits laced with deadly poisons out into the countryside to kill wildlife was outlawed [note 1]. Yet despite this, a new report, published today (Thursday 3 November) by the RSPB, shows that this practice remains a major problem for the UK's birds of prey.
Based on these shocking findings, the RSPB is calling on the UK government to outlaw the possession of these poisons in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Scottish Government has already put such measures in place.
The RSPB Birdcrime 2010 report reveals there were 128 reports of illegal poisoning in the UK, and the early figures for this year suggest a similar pattern. In 2010, 20 red kites, 30 buzzards, two goshawks, eight peregrines, five golden eagles, one white-tailed eagle and one sparrowhawk were found poisoned in the UK. The RSPB believes that the number of recorded incidents is way below the actual number.
In the North East, four red kites were found poisoned. Three of these were found in Northumberland, while the other incident took place in County Durham.
Martin Harper is the Conservation Director of the RSPB. He said: "It has been illegal to poison birds of prey since 1911. But in a bizarre quirk, it is not illegal in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for individuals to possess some of the most deadly poisons, even though they have no legitimate use for them."
The list of chemicals used to illegally poison birds of prey includes a host of agricultural pesticides, such as Carbofuran, Alphachloralose and Bendiocarb. The poisoner will usually douse the carcass of a pheasant, rabbit or a pigeon with the poison and leave the bait in a place where a bird of prey is likely to find it.
Red Kite poisoned by alphachloralose, North Yorkshire... RSPB (rspb-images.com)
The RSPB is calling for the law to be enacted, which prevents individuals from having named poisons in their possession if they have no legal use for them. The RSPB's Martin Harper added: "Our report shows there are a number of poisons commonly used to illegally poison wildlife for which those people responsible can have no legitimate use."
The previous Government accepted in 2006 that it was sensible to make it illegal for unauthorised people to possess these poisons, but despite the law being in place, the Government hasn't listed the banned pesticides. This is despite the controls being in place in Scotland since 2005, where police find it a very useful tool in the fight against wildlife crime as 10 convictions have already been secured.
Martin Harper added: "If this Government is serious about tackling illegal persecution of birds of prey, it really needs to start taking meaningful action. Putting additional controls on the possession of these common wildlife poisons would be a relatively easy first step, especially as these controls would not affect legitimate pesticide uses."
Although the recovery of species like the buzzard have been helped by a reduction in persecution from many lowland areas, poisoning, shooting and trapping all continue to affect birds of prey in many areas of the UK. In the UK's uplands, particularly on land managed for intensive grouse shooting, illegal persecution remains unacceptably common.
The RSPB's Birdcrime report 2010 shows the highest number of reported incidents against birds of prey and owls was 54 in North Yorkshire. In Northumberland there were 20 reported incidents, while County Durham and Tyne & Wear reported ten and five incidents respectively.
The reports received by the RSPB, included: 128 reports of wildlife poisoning; 227 reports of shooting and destruction of birds of prey; 40 reported egg-collecting incidents; 31 reports of illegal taking, possession or sale of birds of prey; 63 reports of illegal taking, possession or sale of wild birds, other than birds of prey.
Chris Collett, Regional Communications Manager: 0191 233 4317 / 07885 834889
Editor's notes:1). Putting out poison baits in the countryside was made illegal by Section 8 of the Protection of Animals Act 1911 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo5/1-2/27/section/8/enacted. The legislation came into force in Scotland in 1912.
2). Section 43 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 made it illegal to possess certain pesticides harmful to wildlife unless it could be proven to be for a lawful purpose. However, the list of banned substances has never been published rendering the legislation impotent in England and Wales. In Scotland, a list of eight pesticides that it is illegal to possess was published in the Possession of Pesticides (Scotland) Order 2005http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2005/66/schedule/made. In Northern Ireland there are provisions under Section 15 of the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Northern Ireland ) Act 2011 to create a new offence of possession of pesticides harmful to wildlife without lawful excuse but as in England the list of banned substances has not been published.
3) Carbofuran is an insecticide whose government approval for use and storage was withdrawn in 2001. It is the pesticide most widely implicated in wildlife poisoning incidents in the UK. In its concentrated form, it is highly toxic to animals and humans and can pose a risk through swallowing, eye contact and from breathing in the dust.
Alphachloralose is a pesticide that is approved for use by professional pest controllers to control birds, such as feral pigeons, under strictly controlled circumstances.
Bendiocarb is an insecticide approved for use in a range of amateur and professional products both in the home, for example to control insects and ants, and in agriculture where it is used as a treatment to control crop soil pests.
4) This table lists all of the confirmed and probable incidents against birds of prey in the North East in 2010. It does not contain unconfirmed reports (See below for definitions of terms). Incidents of poisoning are in bold.
County | Location | Month | Details | Species |
County Durham | Near Newton Aycliffe | March | Sparrowhawk found with shot injury. Rehabilitated and release | Confirmed |
County Durham | Near Barnard Castle | April | Red kite poisoned by carbofuran | Confirmed |
County Durham | Near Barnard Castle | April | Dead buzzard found with probable shot injuries | Probable |
County Durham | Near Edmundbyers | April | Probable destruction of buzzard nest and eggs | Probable |
County Durham | Near Wolsingham | June | Probable attempt to shoot buzzard | Probable |
County Durham | Near Wolsingham | November | Sparrowhawk found in illegal trap - released unharmed | Confirmed |
Northumberland | Near Hexham | February | Two red kite found poisoned by alphachloralose | Confirmed |
Northumberland | Near Consett | March | Report remains kestrel in probable illegal trap | Probable |
Northumberland | Near Wooler | March | Three partridges found in vehicle - one with traces of pestcide - suspected intended to be used as poison bait | Probable |
Northumberland | Near Belford | May | Buzzard caught in probable unlawful trap | Probable |
Northumberland | Near Whittonstall | June | Red kite poisoned by carbofuran | Confirmed |
Northumberland | Near Stocksfield | July | Red kite found dead near to site where another bird recently poisoned - too decomposed for analysis | Probable |
Tyne And Wear | Tyne And Wear | Unspecified | Report of killing/attempts kill birds of prey | Probable |
Tyne And Wear | Tyne And Wear | Unspecified | Report of killing/attempts kill birds of prey | Probable |
Tyne And Wear | Tyne And Wear | Unspecified | Report of killing/attempts kill birds of prey | Probable |
Tyne And Wear | Tyne And Wear | Unspecified | Report of killing/attempts kill birds of prey | Probable |
Definitions
Confirmed -The circumstances indicate an illegal act has taken place. These incidents are typically substantiated by evidence such as post mortem or toxicological analysis, or reliable eyewitness evidence.
Probable- the circumstances indicate that by far the most likely explanation is that an illegal act has taken place.
Unconfirmed- the circumstances indicate an illegal act has possibly taken place.
RSPB Scotland Tuesday 13thSeptember 2011
Record number of golden eagles among victims as illegal bird of prey killing remains at high levels
Four golden eagles, the most recorded in a single year, were amongst 29 birds illegally poisoned last year, according to the latest annual report by RSPB Scotland.
The report,The illegal killing of birds of prey in Scotland in 2010, indicates that persecution remains at high levels and continues to pose a serious risk to the long-term populations of some of Scotland's most vulnerable birds of prey.
13 buzzards, 7 red kites, 2 peregrines and one white-tailed sea eagle were amongst those confirmed by Scottish Government testing to have been poisoned, in addition to the golden eagles above. A further eight birds of prey were also confirmed as victims of shooting, trapping or nest destruction.
However, as many of these crimes were discovered purely by chance, by walkers or birdwatchers, in remote areas of countryside, it's likely that these figures represent "the tip of the iceberg." Recent studies published in scientific journals investigating the populations of golden eagle, hen harrier and red kite indicate that this is indeed the case.
As in recent years, the majority of incidents involving banned poisons took place in areas managed for driven grouse shooting, particularly in the eastern and central Highlands and the southern Uplands of Scotland.
2010 also saw an increase in the confirmed use of highly toxic banned agricultural pesticides, such as Aldicarb and Carbofuran. Both chemicals have been previously linked with illegal poisoning cases involving birds of prey.
Today, RSPB Scotland is raising fresh concerns that if this illegal behaviour continues, the Scottish populations of long-lived and slow breeding raptor species, including the golden eagle will continue to suffer and remain well below natural levels.
Stuart Housden, Director of RSPB Scotland said: "The criminal practice of illegally killing birds of prey remains a most serious conservation issue. Following welcome new measures to tackle this crime, we are working hard with the authorities and responsible land managers to see how we can use both intelligence and scientific information to better target enforcement against the perpetrators. We look forward to this yielding the visible results of an increase in the population and range of vulnerable species such as hen harrier, red kite, golden eagle and white-tailed eagle."
Duncan Orr-Ewing, Head of Species and Land Management at RSPB Scotland, added: "We thank the public for their continued vigilance and encourage any suspected crimes to be reported quickly to the police and RSPB Scotland. Such reports were pivotal in finding illegally killed birds, sadly including four poisoned golden eagles, in 2010. Everybody can play a part in supporting efforts to bear down on these crimes in our countryside, which are so detrimental to some of Scotland's tourism and other rural industries."
This release is published with permission from RSPB Scotland Media & Communications.
media release
Issued by the RSPB and SITA Trust on behalf of the Northern Kites project
For immediate release: 22 June 2011
A major bird of prey reintroduction initiative in the North East has been given a new award in recognition of its long-term benefits to the local community and environment.
The Northern Kites Project, which reintroduced the bird as a breeding species to the region, was given the Project of the North award by SITA Trust at the Centre for Life in Newcastle last week.
Northern Kites was singled out for the accolade by SITA Trust, from all of the projects it had supported in Northern England since its foundation.
Established in 2004, the Northern Kites project released 94 birds in Gateshead's lower Derwent Valley. The first birds bred successfully in 2006, raising the first wild kite to be born in the region for 170 years. The initiative was a world-first in reintroducing the spectacular birds of prey birds into a semi-urban environment.
The reintroduction was backed by a massive community engagement programme. Over the life of the project made face-to-face contact with almost 60,000 people at over 250 events and more than 100 schools in the region took part in the Adopt-a-Kite scheme.
The Northern Kites project was managed by the RSPB and Natural England, working in partnership with Gateshead Council, Northumbrian Water, The National Trust and Forestry Commission, with additional funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and SITA Trust.
On making this award Marek Gordon, Chairman of SITA Trust said: "This particular project was chosen to represent the work enabled by the Landfill Communities Fund because it demonstrated so well what a partnership of community groups, experts, volunteers, public and private sector organisations can achieve. This project involved and engaged people of all ages, from all over the region and its lasting legacy - magnificent birds of prey taking to the skies and breeding in the wild after a break of 170 years - is testament to how a dream can become reality when we all pull together."
Collecting the award on behalf of the project, Peter Robertson, the RSPB's Regional Director for Northern England said: "Northern Kites is a great example of what can be achieved through partnership working. By combining our respective resources and expertise we were able to reintroduce the kites in to the area and also to engage with and inspire the local community and wider region about these amazing birds."
Many of the volunteers who shared tirelessly in the work of the Northern Kites Project have continued their dedication as members of the Friends of Red Kites. We congratulate Keith Bowey, who led the re-introduction of the 94 kites, donated generously by the successful Chilterns Project.
RECOVERY: Conservation programmes are paying off for Britain's red kite population
Used to be killed as vermin
May 2011: A record number of red kites were spotted during this year's RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, the latest signal that the bird's reintroduction programme has been a success.
There was an increase of more than 130 per cent since last year in sightings of red kites during the weekend of the survey, and they moved to number 53 in the rankings of most frequently seen birds in gardens.
400 years of deliberate persecution
At the turn of the 20th century, there were just a handful of red kites in the UK, and the few that remained were confined to remote Welsh valleys. From the 16th century, people were encouraged to kill red kites as vermin and 400 years of deliberate persecution followed.
As they became rarer, red kites were the targets of egg collectors and taxidermists and soon fewer than a dozen pairs of kites survived in the Welsh valleys. With legal protection, reduced persecution and thanks to the dedicated efforts of conservationists, the Welsh birds began to expand slowly, but by the 1980s, they were still confined to Welsh mountains and remained very vulnerable.
A jigsaw of red kite reintroductions across the UK began in 1990 to help bring the kite back to its former range and have proved to be one of the greatest conservation success stories ever. Seven per cent of the world's red kite population is now in the UK.
It is fantastic that so many people are seeing them
More red kites were recorded in this year's RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch than ever before. Only the birds that landed in gardens were officially recorded, but numerous comments on survey forms and online forums suggest even more were seen flying over gardens, and the results are further proof that the birds are continuing to flourish.
Sarah Kelly, who coordinates Big Garden Birdwatch, says: 'We were delighted to see red kites appearing on so many survey results forms. Of course it doesn't mean that they landed on bird tables or hung off feeders like garden birds, but it does mean that they were spotted around more homes and gardens than ever, which is fantastic news as a few years ago we would have had far fewer sightings.
'We are heartened that so many people recognise them and get to enjoy them close to home.'Jeff Knott, RSPB species policy officer, says: 'Red kites are one of our most elegant birds of prey and they are a spectacular sight. I defy anyone that gets to see them flying over their garden not to be in awe of them and the increase in Big Garden Birdwatch sightings is great news for both the public and the birds themselves.
Still badly affected by illegal poisoning
'The survey results are the latest proof that red kites are again prospering in the wider countryside, a vast improvement from the situation only 20 years ago. People have grown to love these birds, and they are the subject of a remarkable success story which we hope will long continue.'
While red kites are currently doing very well in the UK, elsewhere in Europe they continue to be badly affected by illegal poisoning. With big declines in the species' core range, the importance of the UK for red kites in global terms seems likely to further increase over the coming years.
Even in some areas of the UK, illegal poisoning remains a significant problem. The Black Isle in the north of Scotland was the site of one of the first two reintroduction projects in the UK. The same number of birds were released over the same years as in the Chilterns in England, yet while the population in the latter has increased to more than 400 pairs, there are still barely 50 pairs of red kites around the Black Isle.