Animal charity point to 'illegal' killing of birds of prey

The Scottish Gamekeepers Association is calling for 'independent monitoring' of birds of prey, following claims from an animal charity that two young white-tailed eagles may have been illegally killed.

RSPB Scotland say the disappearance is in 'highly suspicious circumstances', as transmissions ceased on July 22nd, with one last recorded over a grouse moor in Inverness-shire, and the other in Aberdeenshire.

The birds that disappeared in the Summer were both from the first generation of chicks from breeding pairs in the tiny white-tailed eagle population in east Scotland. Illegal persecution lead to white-tailed eagles becoming extinct in Scotland in 1918. The birds have returned to the eastern part of the country through a re-introduction project run by RSPB Scotland, Forestry Commission Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage between 2007 and 2012.

Ian Thomson, RSPB Scotland’s Head of Investigations, said: 'We can be almost certain that these birds have been killed, with those responsible destroying all the evidence. The disappearance of these two eagles is more than a loss of two birds; it means any future breeding success they might have had, helping to boost the numbers of these rare birds, has also been destroyed. Illegal persecution is seriously undermining the re-establishment of a white-tailed eagle population in this part of Scotland.'

The National Wildlife Crime Unit and Police Scotland were notified and provided with the tags’ data to allow them to make a separate independent assessment of the birds' fates.

White L was a male eagle tagged as a chick at a nest in in Fife in 2016. His tag last transmitted on a grouse moor a few miles from the famous Banchory to Fettercairn Road, in Aberdeenshire. The other chick fledged from a nest in Inverness-shire in 2018 and disappeared on managed moorland near Tomatin. As well as repeated disappearances of satellite tagged eagles, RSPB Scotland claim this area of Inverness-shire has seen numerous incidents of shooting, poisoning and illegal trapping of eagles, red kites and hen harriers.

However a spokesperson for The Scottish Gamekeepers Association said: 'No one wants to hear that birds are missing and the SGA shares that concern but there needs to be a degree of caution when dealing with satellite tag incidents'

'Satellite tags can and do fail. They only give an indication of birds’ movements because there can be considerable time lapses in data being received'

'We have seen cases where birds that have been given up for dead have later been located such as the reappearance of Hen Harrier Rosie just a week or so ago, which was part of a Natural England conservation project'

'Similarly, a tagged eagle suspected to have been killed by another as part of the South of Scotland Golden Eagle project is still to be located'

'The SGA has petitioned the Scottish Parliament for independent monitoring of these tags so all of these possibilities can be properly explored by neutral tag experts, appointed by Scottish Government. We would reiterate that if anyone sees these birds that they contact Police Scotland immediately.'

• RSPB Scotland
• scottish gamekeepers association
• conservation
• birds of prey