Peregrine persecution incidents increasing across the country
01/07/2009 22:35:20
Shot peregrine falcon found dead in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire in June 2009. Credit Grahame Madge (rspb-images.com).
Peregrines shot, poisoned and trapped in 2009
July 2009. This year looks like being one of the worst on record for crimes against peregrines. The RSPB has been flooded with reports of birds being poisoned, trapped and shot and of their chicks being taken from the nest.
Reported incidents already number more than 50 for the year, with more waiting to be processed. There were 79 incidents reported for the whole of 2007. As a result, the RSPB is urging the Government to add peregrines to its list of priority species for wildlife crime enforcement.
Mark Thomas, RSPB Investigations Officer, said: "It has been a terrible year. One of the worst I can remember. In the last few weeks, barely a day has gone by without a call about peregrine persecution. We have had multiple reports of attempts to target peregrines with poisoned baits and lethal traps and now we have this bird confirmed shot.
Among the incidents reported to the RSPB this year are:Poisoning: A female peregrine and her chick were found dead on their nest near Sunderland next to the body of a pigeon, which police suspect was poisoned bait used to kill the peregrine family. Samples have been sent for testing. In Walsall, a racing pigeon was found with a pill capsule taped to its leg. A tip-off that some pigeon fanciers in the area were targeting peregrines led to the capsule being sent for tests. Results showed it had been filled with the banned pesticide Aldicarb. Since April, three pigeons have been found tethered to the ground near a peregrine site in Cumbria. It is suspected the birds had been laced with poison in an attempt to kill the peregrines. Samples have been sent for testing.
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Shooting: A dead peregrine was found peppered with shot in the Forest of Dean. An x-ray revealed the bird, a seven-year-old female, had been blasted at close range with a shotgun. Trapping: A peregrine crash landed in a back garden near Litchfield in Staffordshire with its leg caught in a spring trap. It later died of its injuries. A search of nearby quarries by RSPB officers found three more traps on a ledge used by peregrines. Nest robberies: All five chicks were stolen from a peregrine nest site near Mansfield within a week of them hatching. It is the fourth year in a row the nest has failed.
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April 09 RSPB officer recovering three illegal spring traps set to catch peregrines on a cliff ledge near Litchfield, Staffs. Credit James Leonard (rspb-images.com).
"These crimes are cruel, needless and selfish. That they happen at all in the 21st Century is a disgrace. Peregrines have taken 30 years to recover from the devastating effects of pesticide poisoning and still we find them targeted by people who hold a grudge against them.
"This has included rogue elements within the pigeon racing and game shooting communities, who blame them for the loss of their birds. Then there are those crooked individuals intent on taking eggs and chicks for falconry.
The Government recently made the persecution of birds of prey one of the UK's wildlife crime priorities, with emphasis on five key species. We believe peregrines should now be added to that list.
"We urgently need the Government to place peregrines on the list of priority species for wildlife crime enforcement and make sure captive birds are properly registered. These crimes are committed by a selfish minority and are completely unacceptable. We need the public to support the RSPB's campaign to end the illegal killing of birds of prey."
Birds of prey are still being illegally killed in some parts of the UK. To sign the RSPB's on-line pledge to stamp out this illegal practice visit www.rspb.org.uk/birdsofprey
peregrine persecution incident detailsIn February, a live pigeon was recovered from Walsall, West Midlands with a pill capsule strapped to its leg. Analysis confirmed it contained the banned pesticide aldicarb. This product was formerly used in agriculture and has been illegally used in a number of wildlife poisoning cases. In 2008, a peregrine was poisoned by aldicarb near Tamworth. Anybody with information should contact the West Midlands Police on 0845 1135000 In March, a male peregrine crash-landed in a garden near Litchfield, Staffordshire with its leg caught in a spring trap. The bird was taken to a wildlife hospital but later died of its injuries. RSPB Investigators searched nearby quarries and found three illegally set spring traps on a ledge used by peregrines. The traps had been lightly covered with soil to hide their presence. In 2008, spring traps placed in a similar manner were found on peregrine nesting ledges in the Midlands and led to the death of at least one peregrine. Anyone with information is asked to contact WPC Ellie Sewell, Wildlife Crime Officer with Staffordshire Police, on 0300 1234455 Since April, at a peregrine breeding site near Keswick, three different tethered pigeons have been found. It is suspected that live pigeons were smeared in poison and tethered to a rock in order to poison peregrines. This method has been used on previous occasions around the UK to deliberately poison peregrines. Samples in this case have been sent for analysis. A peregrine was previously poisoned at this site in 2003. Anyone with information is asked to contact PC John Shaw, Wildlife Crime Officer with Cumbria Police on 0835 33 00 247
| In May, five peregrine chicks were taken from a nest site near Mansfield. It is suspected the birds were taken for falconry. The site has failed for the last four years and it is suspected other chicks have previously been taken. In 2005, a falconer was prosecuted for disturbing peregrines at the same site. In October 2007, the government relaxed the registration controls for people keeping peregrines in captivity. The RSPB are concerned that people will lead to more peregrines birds being taken from the wild and that the ability of the police to use forensic techniques like DNA profiling will be dramatically limited. Anyone with information is asked to contact PC Andy Hallsworth, Wildlife Crime Officer with Nottinghamshire Police, on 0115 967 0999. On May 31, a female peregrine and her chick were found dead on their nest at the Houghton Quarry off the A690 near Sunderland. A local birder who had been watching the nest noticed a strange lack of movement and raised the alarm. A closer investigation revealed the female and one of her three chicks were dead. A second chick was recovered alive but died later and a third, which had climbed out of the nest, could not be recovered. Police suspect the peregrines were poisoned. The bodies, along with that of a headless pigeon found by the nest, have been sent for forensic tests. Anyone with information is asked to contact Pc Nick Pearson, wildlife crime officer with Northumbria Police, on 03456 043043. The shot peregrine was found laying dead in the Forest of Dean, near to the RSPB's Nagshead Nature Reserve on 2 June. An x-ray revealed the bird, a seven-year-old female, had been shot at quite close range with a shotgun.
Gloucestershire police are investigating the crime and have asked anyone with information to get in touch on 0845 090 1234, quoting incident number 296 of June 2.
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Peregrines in Britain - Persecution suppressing recovery
Peregrines were reduced to 360 pairs in Britain by 1963, largely owing to organochlorine poisoning from pesticides such as DDT. Following the restriction of organochlorines and enhanced protection efforts, their numbers are now at their highest for at least 50 years, with over 1,400 pairs.
However, numbers have not recovered in some areas, such as eastern Yorkshire, while in north Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern Wales there have been declines over the last decade. Human persecution, environmental pollutants and, possibly, declines in the abundance of their prey, may be restricting the peregrine population.
Scotland a hotspot for persecution
Peregrines continue to be persecuted, with recent estimates made that 27% of nests in south-east Scotland, 24% of nests in north-east Scotland and over 10% of examined ranges in Cumbria were subject to interference or killing.
Individuals involved with pigeon fancying are believed to be responsible for the failure of some nests, particularly in South Wales and Northern Ireland. This is despite several separate studies showing that birds of prey are responsible for only a small proportion of racing pigeon losses relative to other factors such as straying, exhaustion and collisions.
In February, MP Huw Irranca-Davies, Minister for the Environment, announced the six wildlife crime priorities for the UK. This included Bird of prey persecution with emphasis on five species - golden eagle, white-tailed eagle, goshawk, hen harrier and red kite. The RSPB believe that the peregrine falcon should also be included on this priority list. This species has a long history of persecution and events in 2009 emphasize how serious problems remain for this spectacular bird.
Peregrines are specially protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. Anyone killing, injuring, trapping, taking or disturbing one can face a fine of up to £5,000 or up to 6 months in prison or both.
Last year the RSPB launched a campaign to stamp out the illegal killing of birds of prey. Every year, birds such as peregrines, golden eagles, hen harriers, goshawks, buzzards and red kites, are shot, poisoned and have their nests and eggs destroyed, despite being protected by law. If you would like to support the campaign, please visit www.rspb.org.uk/birdsofprey
If you have information about any crime against birds of prey you can call the RSPB in confidence on 0845 466 3636.
Read the comments about this article and leave your own comment
Simply take a look at www.pigeonbasics.com then go to their Predators section and you will find nearly 100 threads on how they 'dispose' of Peregrines and Sparrowhawks (you'll need to register to view it). Although there are countless 'admissions' on there, there is obviously no real proof of what is being done but we all know it is going on. As a falconer I love to see our wild raptors and I've also had my Saker and GyrxSaker 'attacked' by them but i would not go out and kill them as they are top of the food chain, and have more right than captive bred birds.
Posted by: Saker-Clive | 11 Jul 2009 14:22:51