Saturday 30 July 2016

Peregrines in Peril or in Paradise?

In towns and cities such as Derby, nesting peregrines are more or less safe from persecution...so they live in a sort of 'paradise'.
Not so elsewhere unfortunately.
If these falcons nest on or near a grouse shooting moor, almost all the predatory birds that venture onto the moor somehow mysteriously 'disappear'.
They are indeed 'Peregrines in Peril'! 
Methods used to remove birds of prey include shooting, trapping, poisoning, robbing the eggs or killing the chicks in the nest.
Peregrine with its leg trapped and broken by a
spring trap set at its nest in the West Midlands.
Photo RSPB
All these acts are illegal but because our moorlands are so remote, wildlife crime generally goes unnoticed and the culprits get off scott free. Even if they are caught, they only get cautions or small fines; only extremely rarely are they sent to prison.
Away from our uplands, pigeon fanciers also take the law into their own hands and quietly get rid of peregrines nesting in the vicinity. Low cliffs and old quarry faces where the falcons tend to nest can easily be scaled and traps set or the nest contents removed - especially under the cover of darkness.
They may also be poisoned.

Derbyshire successes and failures
In Derbyshire this year, initial results from the monitoring of rural peregrine nests has come up with these results:

Of a total of 19 nest sites surveyed:
  • 5 succeeded to rear young but usually less than 4 per nest.
  • 14 failed. These are essentially rural sites with no protection by either cameras or wardens.
    Some of these sites failed twice - ie the birds laid again after losing their first clutch of eggs but the second clutch 'disappeared' too. 
(We am indebted to the Derbyshire Raptor Groups  and the DOS (county bird club) for this information).


Quarry (not in Derbyshire) where peregrines nest
but with no protection......
As we know from Derby, where young have been raised every year since 2006, peregrines make great parents, sitting on their eggs through rain and snow and shielding their chicks from excessive sun (not that we've had much of that this year!).
Such a high 'failure' rate away from towns can only mean one thing - illegal persecution is widespread and commonplace.

Raptor persecution on Derbyshire's moorland.

On the grouse moors, detecting wildlife crime is extremely difficult. It either relies on some walker or bird watcher accidentally stumbling across a carcass or a trap.
In Derbyshire earlier this summer it was a pair of bird watchers who spotted something odd through their telescope on the grouse moor where they were walking. They managed to get a video of an armed man sitting in the heather waiting. Nearby was a model of a male hen harrier which has been placed as if it was perching on the heather, clearly aimed at luring any passing harrier close enough so it could be shot.
Man with gun waiting near (grey) model of male hen harrier
on a Derbyshire moor owned by the National Trust
This happened on National Trust land - land that the Trust had let to a grouse-shooting tenant.
The armed man was too far off to be recognisable and, despite making enquiries, the police did not have sufficient evidence to bring anyone to court. Maybe next time.
To its credit, the National Trust has since terminated the tenant's lease and has said it will advertise for a new tenant next year. There are hopes it will not take on another shooting tenant, but will decide instead to manage the moor for both wildlife and people, restoring what is a damaged, burnt habitat to something much better and richer in wildlife. Fingers crossed!

So, how can we privileged web cam watchers help end end wildlife crime on the moors?
Well, on the week end of 6/7th August, 'Hen Harrier Day' events are being held across the UK.
On Saturday 6th at Rainham Marshes RSPB reserve NE of London, Chris Packham and Mark Avery are the speakers.
Our own Derbyshire Hen Harrier Day event takes place at 11am on Sunday 7th in Edale, with hundreds of people expected to turn up in support. Speakers include representatives of the National Trust, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, the new Police and Crime Commissioner and Natalie Bennett of the Green Party.
For details of all the events (and maybe there's one near you?) go here.
Do please consider turning up at one of them if you possibly can. 
As 'veterans' of the first two Hen Harrier Days, we can assure you there's a great atmosphere and sense of common purpose. See this video made at Hen Harrier Day in 2014 in the pouring rain when an astonishing 570 people turned up in North Derbyshire!

Male hen harrier - what a wonderful bird!
In addition, there is currently a petition calling for the banning of driven grouse shooting. It's an e-petition to the government and requires 100,000 signatures in order for there to be a debate in the House of Commons. So far 67,000 people have signed. Please note however that neither the RSPB or the Wildlife Trusts as yet support this petition or this approach....so you will have to make up your own minds about whether to sign or not.
The e-petition is here and for more information about the issues see a video by Chris Packham here and a blog here and another from DWT here explaining its 2015 position.

The Project Team










Moorland Vision website and petition: http://nomoorshooting.blogspot.co.uk/





Links


Moorland Vision
Hen Harrier Day in the Peak

21 comments:

Helen said...

A juvenile is present on the nest platform at the moment(15.53). Looks like it's one of the females. Soon gone!

Helen said...

One of the adult peregrines is roosting on the platform this evening.

Kate said...

Thanks Team for the BLOG
and one on the edge of scrape this morning listening to the bells.

Ann Raynor said...

One on the ledge of the scrape

The Project Team said...

Hi Heath: sorry only just seen your question....and now HHD is over.
Am just back from Edale - an inspiring day with very good speeches and some 350 people in attendance (there were nearly 600 at Rainham HHD yesterday).
Be sure to come next year and meanwhile do please sign both of the two related online petition:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/125003 and

http://nomoorshooting.blogspot.co.uk/

The Project Team

Heather said...

Hi Project Team, Stupid of me not to see the link directing people to the various HHD events sited just above the picture of Chris Packham in the rain at last year's event but glad you had a good day and also a good turnout at Rainham. Whether it makes a difference or not we'll have to wait and see but one can only stay positive. Hopefully we'll get plenty of signatures to present the petition to parliament. I saw somewhere that someone had sent an excellent detailed letter to Dennis Skinner of Bolsover asking the matter to be raised in parliament but that a reply had been rather slow in coming. Preservation of wildlife seems very low on their priorities unfortunately whichever party you approach!

The Project Team said...

Hi Heather: HHD in Edale was great with over 300 people turning out and six very good speakers including a very passionate and eloquent 14 year old boy, Findlay Wilde, and Tim Birch from DWT talking about how the Wildlife Trust want to see the moors transformed over the next 20 years and more. Inspirational stuff!
The e-petition you mention is going from strength to strength and is now approaching 80,000 signatures!
There's another, new local petition, this one aimed at the National Trust, urging it to restore some moorlands where their grouse shooting tenant has just been given notice to quit. You can read the background (and sign online) at www.nomoorshooting.blogspot.co.uk .

The Project Team

Ann Raynor said...

Young one on the ledge of the Scape

The Project Team said...

It was good to see some of our peregrine volunteers, supporters and donors at Hen Harrier Day and good to know they were committed enough to make the journey up (or down) to Edale. Hope everyone enjoyed what was an inspiring event.
Please sign the petition urging the National Trust NOT to put another shooting tenant on the Peak District Estate from which they have just throw the last (bad egg) tenant off,
Read the background, make up your mind (that bit's easy!) and then do please sign.
www.nomoorshooting.blogspot.co.uk
The Project Team

Helen said...

The e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting has now nearly reached ninety thousand. If you haven't signed it yet then please do consider it. We can't let our birds of prey (including peregrines) be 'driven out' because of it.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/125003





Wendy Bartter said...

My last post has disappeared!!

Wendy Bartter said...

Oh dear, just ignore me, not working well today!! Just found it on previous blog!!!
Copied to here ...
90,346 & I signed & shared some days ago! We have a Hen Harrier thread currently running on RSPB & one of the members posted this link today ... http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p044fnlg
very interesting!!
Have been recording Peregrine who has been on scrape for a few hours now but it hasn't moved from r/h position obscured greatly by the smear, just to stretch a bit!!

12 August 2016 at 13:54

Now will delete from wrong blog!

Heather said...

Me too Wendy! Trying to sign petition - and pressed on "here" where it says 'e-petition is here". I get onto Government website, fill in details and get to final page which then says "You have not signed until you click the link in the email". Can you help this idiot technophobe? There seem quite a few links to varous petitions and on one I see Natalie Bennett got 234 signatures on hen harrier day.

Did anyone see the ITV news tonight around 10.30pm showing the plight of raptor birds on grouse moors with Chris Packham giving exemplary reasons as to why this barbaric sport should be outlawed? It also mentioned the petition which will hopefully encourage more people to sign. Haven't managed to see any of our Derby peregrines on the scrape for weeks now but have just seen an owl calling on apex of my roof. Also what is believed to be an eagle has been seen here near Chatsworth Park, also Over Haddon, Ashford and Pilsley. I'm willing it not to venture onto the moors!

Heather said...

Panic over Wendy! Have just gone to my emails and found five messages from the Petitions Team (obviously sent after each of my unsuccessful attempts), providing me with the link to click on to add one more to the Government Petition - thanks Team from one suitably embarrassed blogger. At least I got there in the end!

Wendy Bartter said...

Updated signature count ... 98,214!!! Be there by morning for sure!
You got there Heather, by what means doesn't matter! Lol
Didn't see news item, was 'mothing' but will get it on iPlayer in morning ... Could listen to CP all day, he talks such eloquent sense!
Shame you haven't managed to see Peregrine recently, managed to catch sight of one nearly every day still but not always able to record & sometimes the resolution is poor, especially in bright sun!!¡

Wendy Bartter said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Helen said...

Thanks Heather. Here is the link for the news item that you mentioned. (You may have to register to watch it, but it is free!) It's about 20 minutes 30 seconds into the programme.

http://www.itv.com/hub/itv-news-at-ten/2a4409a0160

Wendy Bartter said...

Very nearly there ... 99,942!!! Come on you last 58 peeps!

Wendy Bartter said...

Tis a done deed @ 100,082 & still rising!!

The Project Team said...

Hi there: thanks for your comments about the various petitions. If you haven't done yet, please sign the new and local petition that can be found on nomoorshooting.blogspot since that needs many more signatures yet.

The Project Team

Ann Raynor said...

Young one on the ledge of the Scrape