This season just two estates, one in Scotland’s borders at Langholm moor and a second estate in Lancashire’s Forest of Bowland, has demonstrated the positive impact on the Hen Harrier when estate owners make a decision to protect Harriers instead of killing them. The total number of successful Harrier nests this summer in both regions (13) has produced at least fifty fledged young, perhaps even a few more. The problem now facing each of these chicks once they begin to migrate across other moorland regions look less than promising. History has confirmed the bulk of Hen Harrier chicks which have successfully fledged from nests in England in the past two decades have disappeared, presumed shot when passing over moorland used to shoot red grouse. A small number of Harriers, for example Bowland Betty, have been found dead near to or on grouse moors.
Natural England’s Hen Harrier Recovery Project established one stark and gloomy statistic, there were less Hen Harrier on England’s uplands when this important initiative ended that when it began.
It appears we have run out of viable options in respect to Hen Harrier survival on England’s uplands because of the shooting industries intransigence when it comes to bringing a halt to the persecution taking place on Red Grouse moorland. With the advantage of hind sight it was always obvious Natural England’s Hen Harrier Recovery Project was always domed because the bulk of Red Grouse estate owners were never prepared to change their opinion of the Hen Harriers or accept their presence on Red Grouse moors.
Gamekeeper inside gun butt from where driven red grouse are shot in their hundreds
There are two old sayings “Leopards never change their spots” and “Old habits never die.” Will Mark Avery’s e-petition achieve anything, we think it already has by putting the game shooting industry on notice the ‘killing’ must stop. We also think that in time if the ‘killing’ of protected raptors on England’s uplands continues public opinion will begin to change against game shooting, and when that happens the writing is on the wall, driven grouse shooting will be banned once and for all.
Talks hosted by the Environment Council between shooting representatives and raptor conservation organisations in England held over a number of years importantly gave the shooting fraternity years to stall for time. While these talks were on-going this allowed Harriers on Red Grouse moorlands to be exterminated with impunity.
As things should be: A Harrier coasting across the moorland landscape. Image by Ewan Miles
The warning signs were clear for every one to see following the loss of Harriers from the northern Pennines in 2006 and should have been a wake up call. Now in 2014 the Harrier remains perilously close to extinction throughout England’s uplands following decades of illegal persecution on red grouse moorland. If we are unable to replicate what has taken place this season on estates owned by United Utilities on other moorland, the Hen Harrier position in England may never chance.
Hen Harrier being satellite Tagged. At nearly £3000 each they are an expensive item of kit to keep losing as well as the harrier they had been attached to.
The success this year of the Hen Harrier in the Forest of Bowland has clearly demonstrated the way forward. If other estates owners are not prepared to follow United Utilities example, continuing instead to keep their heads in the sand, change will be forced upon them whether they accept it or not by public opinion. It is very significant that within the wider shooting community calls for change are now being voiced against the illegal killing of raptors on moorland used to shoot red grouse. These voices will become more persistent from within the industry if the persecution of species like the Hen Harrier results in extinction.
Satellite Tagging Technology.
Disappointingly as subsequent events have revealed much of this expensive effort is being wasted. Within a few months after migrating away from the natal territory on to other adjoining moorland, tagged Hen Harriers always seem to vanish from the face of the earth. What is more difficult to understand is why Natural England should continue to refuse to publish details of those precise moorland locations where the satellite transmissions are know to have failed. Wasn’t this technology introduced in the first place to discover where Hen Harrier were disappearing in the first place? We must not over look the important fact that these expensive unite were purchased by tax payers money, the public have the moral right to be told where most if not all these Hen Harriers vanished.
Looking west from Roeburndale moor towards the river Lune. In former days there were at least two Hen Harrier nests on this moor each season, now there are none.
Terry R.Pickford (founded 1967)
FOOTNOTE:
Shooting generates £2 billion for the economy, boosts conservation and provides jobs. NO MENTION OF THE HEN HARRIER IN THIS ARTICLE by the Countryside Alliance, we wonder why???