Launched 22 April 2013:

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Anastasia Sandra Hardy
5 years ago
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1 Heads Up for Hen Harriers Initiative (Part of PAW Scotland s Hen Harrier Action Plan) Launched 22 April 2013: Correspondence Date: 22 April 2013 From: Wendy Mattingley To: Ron MacDonald (SNH); Paul Wheelhouse MSP; Scottish Raptor Monitoring Group reps I have to express very strongly my disappointment in the most recent PAW Scotland Initiative in urging the public to report sightings of hen harriers. As a member of the Scottish Raptor Study Groups, the Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme and someone who has monitored Scottish hen harriers for the past 25 years, I find the whole idea astonishing for a number of reasons: The Scottish Raptor Study Groups (SRSGs) already know where the majority of hen harriers are breeding successfully; attempting to breed; or should be breeding. In 2011, the year after the national survey, 490 home ranges were checked (Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme report 2011). This shows a considerable level of coverage by (mostly) members of the Scottish Raptor Study Groups. We already know about their activity and location and we know that criminal persecution is the main appalling problem for the species. Please can you explain how people s sightings are going to help conserve the species? The SRSGs have been monitoring breeding hen harriers for decades, reporting persecution and unexplained disappearances of the species yet it has not helped conserve the hen harrier? Why have the public been asked to send in their sightings to PAW while apparently missing out the Raptor Monitoring Officer of the Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme OR the network of 11 Raptor Study Groups each with their own hen harriercoordinators? Will there be some attempt by PAW to pass these records immediately onto the coordinators so that any sightings can be followed up (or cross referenced) by those licensed to do so? Where is the liaison within this initiative with the people already on the ground? It is quite shocking that the SRMS and the Scottish Raptor Study Groups appear to have been completely side-lined. In the articles on the BBC website and in the Scotsman on the initiative, there is little to distinguish a female harrier from a buzzard. In undertaking this type of reporting which relies on public sightings, there is a danger of many records not even being of hen harriers. Is there the manpower and knowledge within the system to tease out what sightings are actually relevant? It is disappointing that in this year of Natural Scotland, that there isn't an initiative to firstly endear the hen harrier to the Scottish people. The species should be shown as the brilliant top predator it is with its exceptional sky-dancing display, 1

2 distinctive plumage, observable expert hunting skills and nest building. You must engage people and persuade them how wonderful this raptor is and how, even in Scotland, we are in danger of losing the species almost entirely within a very short time unless there is zero tolerance towards criminal persecution. I would very much appreciate a reply to this . Thank you Yours sincerely Wendy Mattingley Date: 24 April 2013 From: Ron Macdonald (SNH) To: Wendy Mattingley Dear Wendy Heads Up for Harriers Thank you for your letter dated 22 April. I appreciate you taking the trouble to write me and others about the latest PAW initiative to combat illegal persecution of hen harriers. I am replying on behalf of SNH. I note that you have also sent your to the Minister and you will get a formal reply from his office in due course. I am copying this letter to the same copy list as shown on your . Before I take your points in turn, I should explain where this hen harrier initiative sits. The PAW Raptor Persecution Priority Delivery Group (PAW Raptor Group) has been formed to tackle raptor persecution. Members include Scottish Raptor Study Groups, RSPB, the Police, Scottish Government and a number of land management groups. The Group has one of the most difficult and challenging tasks of any environmental grouping in Scotland. It is unbelievably difficult to assemble evidence sufficiently robust to secure a criminal conviction in relation to raptor persecution. To date, much of the group s effort has gone into sorting out data sharing and reporting agreements (vital to collecting intelligence to support criminal prosecutions, but hardly of any interest to the wider public) and developing action plans for priority species, notably the hen harrier. Another recently formed scientific group of the PAW deals with the evidence base on wildlife crime, and quality assuring reports on this (SNH, RSPB, BTO are members of that group). The Heads Up for Harriers initiative was simply one part of the work attempting to combat persecution. Our primary objective is to raise the public profile of the bird and try to engage the wider Scottish public in activities to help the bird. Along the way we hope also to gain a further avenue to information on birds seen and later evidently disappearing. The PAW website makes this very clear, highlighting persecution as a major threat, and pointing to other more standard survey work being carried out by SRSGs and BTO. Other work by the PAW Raptor Group and members includes intelligence gathering and sharing on alleged persecution, surveillance and some 2

3 other activities that I am sure you will understand I cannot go into as these are Police led. We make it clear that this is a pilot scheme, and we will reflect on its achievement in planning further such work. Having said this, I entirely understand the frustration and consternation felt by you and fellow-members of the SRSGs who have seen a decline in numbers of hen harriers in parts of Scotland, not least on grouse moors. I know from my own experience in the north east of Scotland that areas which used to abound in hen harriers now have none. Persecution has undoubtedly been a significant factor in this, but now hen harriers are so scarce that even where moors are managed entirely within the law there are no or few harriers settling to nest because of the wider scarcity of the species. Can I now turn to your specific comments. Scottish Raptor Study Groups (SRSGs). I am well aware that the majority of hen harrier sites are monitored by SRSGs, and indeed that recently the number of sites covered has increased year on year. This coverage is vital and valued, which is in part why we part finance the work of the groups, and chair the Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme (SRMS). As I have explained above, the hen harrier initiative is largely about raising public awareness, and seeing if we can collect additional information. If we get sightings from new sites that would be excellent, and of course these would be passed on to the SRMS. As you are aware we retain a strong commitment to the SRMS by increasing funding to allow the Raptor Monitoring Officer (RMO) post to become full time following Brian Etheridge s retirement. We are continuing to work with the Scheme partners to develop the SRMS. There is no suggestion that this initiative is trying to bypass SRSGs; it is not, and it is intended to be complimentary. I should also like to put on record that Brian Etheridge, the founder RMO, has done a superb job, and of course we are keen to continue to work with him on hen harrier and red kite conservation issues, as well as in relation to the SRMS. The sightings reported to the PAW website. The PAW website sightings are being processed by SNH staff working closely with the Scottish Government and the National Wildlife Crime Unit. We will share details of sightings with the SRMS, RSPB, BTO and, if there is interest in this, with the SRSGs. Naturally, we want to develop an even better picture of the current distribution of harriers, and to share additional information with the SRMS. For interest, by the end of the first day of the launch we had 20 records of harrier reports (some referring to hen harriers, and others to other birds), and we received a picture of a dead raptor which is now being investigated by the Police. Another respondent has told us that her daughter wants to do a school project on hen harriers. All of this helps, and should be encouraged. You quite understandably ask why the SRSGS were not formally notified of the launch 3

4 of the initiative. In fact, we (and this includes the SRSG representative) were asked not to publicise the initiative within member organisations in case other interests attempted to divert media attention from the launch. The BBC website. I felt the BBC website and other media outlets covered the initiative very well through using good photos and video imagery. Of course some people will misidentify other birds for hen harriers, and we are mindful of this in checking the records. This does apply to other websites reporting bird sightings, though for this initiative there is a higher chance of some misidentification. We are mindful of this. However, I do not think that it means that the Heads Up for Harriers initiative is not worth pursuing. Year of Natural Scotland (YNS). I think the media coverage for this imitative has actually worked well in raising the profile of the hen harrier, and a number of the responses have borne this out people have welcomed the opportunity to play a role in telling us about the birds and how much they enjoy them. The BBC coverage in particular showed superbly the sky-dancing display and, as you write, this is something to be celebrated. The golden eagle is one of the Big Five species marking the importance of Scotland s nature as part of the YNS. Several good media stories built around this have been recorded or are in preparation, and we want the SRSG members to be part of this. Can I end with a request? We want to develop the media coverage given to hen harriers and the threats they face. We would like to work with you, if possible, to see if we could responsibly film a nest site in the Atholl area to show the excellent work being done by SRSG workers and to promote the plight of the bird. Would you be willing to consider this please? I hope this helps explain the background to the initiative and addresses your concerns. Once again, thank you for writing me, and I want to leave you in no doubt that I understand fully your anger and frustration over raptor persecution I can assure you that my colleagues and I are resolutely determined to try to stamp it out. Yours sincerely, Dr Ron Macdonald Head of Policy and Advice Date: 2 May 2013 From: Karen Hunter (Wildlife Crime Policy Officer, Scottish Government) To: Wendy Mattingley Dear Ms Mattingley, Thank you for your letter of 22 April 2013 to both the Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Mr Paul Wheelhouse and Mr Ron Macdonald, Head of Policy and 4

5 Advice at Scottish Natural Heritage. I have been asked to respond on behalf of the Minister. I have seen the correspondence between you and Ron regarding your points and I do not want to simply provide you with a re-worded version of those comments. I appreciate that Ron s response has covered all of your points in full and he has taken on board your observations. Your agreement to assist with the follow up BBC article we hope to have on the hen harrier at Atholl, is greatly appreciated. The Minister is fully aware of the public concern regarding raptor persecution and as you know, he has publicly committed to considering other measures to combat persecution. He is also aware that whilst golden eagle incidents are often well publicised and generate huge levels of public condemnation (rightly so) an incident involving a hen harrier simply does not engender the same response with the public. One aspect of the hen harrier initiative as Ron explained, is to get the public to know, understand and love this bird which we hope in turn, will keep the focus on the unacceptable levels of raptor persecution. It is hoped that this hen harrier plan (the first such plan to be created by the PAW Scotland Raptor Group) may form the basis for further plans going forward, so it is imperative that we learn lessons from our experiences and ensure that we develop ideas and strategies accordingly. This is why partnership working through PAW Scotland and the PAW Raptor Group is so important and why things can take time to be done. We appreciate that sometimes time taken to get things right, can be perceived by others as no action being taken. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and other SRSG members for your excellent and valued work in monitoring Scotland s raptors. The SRSG is a key PAW stakeholder and partnership working has allowed for progress to be made to date, albeit with much still to be done. Yours faithfully, Karen Hunter Wildlife Crime Policy Officer 5

The DEFRA Hen Harrier Emergency Action Plan Year 1 Assessment

The DEFRA Hen Harrier Emergency Action Plan Year 1 Assessment Background The Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus is listed on annex 1 of the EC Birds Directive, is a Red-Listed Species of Conservation Concern in