Two rare hen harriers disappear – one in Newtonmore area?
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RSPB Scotland is calling on the Scottish Government to move quickly to introduce the licensing of grouse shooting, following the disappearance of two more satellite-tagged hen harriers on moors in the Cairngorms National Park revealed on BBC Scotland’s Landward this evening (Thursday, June 25).
As detailed in the programme, Marlin, a young male, fledged from a nest at the National Trust for Scotland’s Mar Lodge Estate in Aberdeenshire in 2018, while Hoolie, another male, came from a nest in Easter Ross in the same year.
Before they left their nests, both birds were fitted with a satellite tags as part of the EU Hen Harrier LIFE project which have allowed experts to track their movements ever since.
Marlin flew south after fledging and spent the last two winters in North Yorkshire. Hoolie crossed the sea to Ireland, returning there for the last two winters, where his movements have been closely followed by Irish ornithologists.
In March 2020 Hoolie returned to Scotland, most likely with a view to finding a mate and raising chicks of his own.
However, a month later his tag suddenly stopped transmitting. His last transmitted location was on April 5 and showed he was over an area of moorland intensively managed for grouse shooting near Newtonmore.
He disappeared close to where another tagged hen harrier Lad was found dead, with injuries consistent with being shot, in 2015.
Just three days later, on April 8, Marlin’s tag also stopped suddenly. He too had returned to Scotland, and his last transmitted position was over a driven grouse moor near Strathdon, West Aberdeenshire, in the Cairngorms.
Last April, another Mar Lodge hen harrier, Marci, also disappeared suspiciously, less than a kilometre away, on the same grouse moor.
When a tagged hen harrier dies of natural causes the tag continues to transmit its location allowing for the body to be recovered.
Police Scotland carried out searches for the birds but neither the tags or the bodies were found, and neither tag has transmitted further data.
Ian Thomson, RSPB Scotland’s head of investigations, said: “Scotland had only just been put into lockdown in early April and yet protected birds of prey equipped with highly reliable technology have disappeared on land managed for driven grouse moors.
"The fact that these two birds have disappeared very close to where other similar incidents have occurred only heightens suspicions that these birds can be added to the very long list of protected birds of prey killed on grouse moors.
“The Scottish Government’s independent review of grouse moor management, published at the end of last year accepted the need for regulation of grouse shooting but proposed a five year probationary period to allow populations of hen harriers and other birds of prey on or near grouse shooting estates to recover to a ‘favourable’ conservation status.
"We believe that this approach is unworkable in practice and urge the introduction of a licensing scheme as soon as possible.”
Scottish Land & Estates said today it had contacted Police Scotland over allegations that two hen harriers had disappeared in the national park.
Tim Baynes, moorland director, said: “We were made aware today of information that two satellite-tagged hen harriers had stopped transmitting and have contacted Police Scotland for further information.
“The estates where the birds were last located emphatically deny any involvement in their disappearance.
"The estates, one of which is an active participant in the Heads Up for Harriers scheme to protect the species, had assisted police in searches for the birds but police found nothing on either estate to warrant further investigation.
“We have contacted Police Scotland to ask for further information and asked that the matter is raised through the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime Scotland.
"Our members are outrightly opposed to any form of wildlife crime and there is an urgent need for greater transparency and collaboration over satellite tag data which could help in finding out what happens to birds that disappear.”
The two estates where the last transmissions were apparently recorded, stated the following: -
A spokesperson for the estate (near Newtonmore) said: "The estate finds it unfortunate that the RSPB has effectively accused it of persecution without exploring the facts.
"The estate is a signatory to the Heads Up for Harriers project, which actively promotes hen harrier nesting success and public awareness.
"The estate is proposing to work with an SNH project officer, who worked with RSPB for nearly 30 years, on the project.
"Shortly after the estate was alerted to the bird’s disappearance, it instructed a recently retired senior police officer to conduct an investigation.
His conclusion was that there was very clearly no wrongdoing on the part of the estate. "
A spokesperson for the estate near Strathdon stated: "The estate’s head gamekeeper assisted the police with a full search of the area where the last known transmission was recorded. It found nothing.
"When on site, the two policemen and the head gamekeeper saw two healthy hen harriers approximately 700 yards away from the last recorded transmissions and 250 yards from them.
"The police confirmed to the gamekeeper that they were satisfied both with the cooperation provided by the estate and with the steps taken.
"We are disappointed that the RSPB did not think to speak to us first before issuing a press release which effectively accused the estate of being involved in the persecution of the hen harrier."
Both estates condemned the statement of the RSPB. They issued the following joint statement:
“It is most disappointing once again the RSPB appear to be seeking to make political capital – and worse still during the coronavirus outbreak.
"We call on them to share with us all of the satellite tag data.
"Both estates have an extremely wide and healthy raptor population. Both estates have a zero tolerance approach to any form of raptor persecution.
" Both estates have detailed and robust compliance systems in place. There are a whole variety of reasons why a satellite tag may have stopped working.
"We condemn any form of raptor persecution, but we also condemn the prejudgement of innocent people both in the absence of evidence and without due process of law.
"We would remind the RSPB that the police have not cautioned or charged anyone in relation to this incident and there is no indication that they are going to”.
Marlin – credit Shaila Rao
Hoolie – credit RSPB Scotland
