Police are appealing for information after a sparrowhawk was found shot near Knaresborough. The dead female sparrowhawk was found by a member of the public north of the village of Nidd, between Knaresborough and Ripley, with a fresh, bloodied injury, on Sunday 25 February. The results from a subsequent x-ray showed that the bird had […]

Police are investigating the shooting of at least one common buzzard – a legally protected bird of prey – that was found dead in a Suffolk wood. Two buzzard corpses were reported to Suffolk Constabulary’s wildlife crime team in an incident described by naturalists as “appalling and abhorrent.” The bodies were found in woodland known […]

A buzzard which was found illegally shot near Powys has prompted concern by the RSPB and police. The bird was found dead on the ground by a walker near Llanrhaeadr-ym-mochnant on 10 February, and it was reported to the police. The bird was X-rayed by a local vet and found to contain at least eight […]

Police are urging visitors to North Yorkshire’s countryside to get involved with Operation Owl – a new initiative to reduce the number of illegal attacks on birds of prey in the county. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act it is an offence to intentionally kill, injure or take wild birds.  Nevertheless birds of prey (raptors) […]

The disappearance of a golden eagle is [thought to be] “highly suspicious”. It was one of a number of birds tagged last summer.  The tag lost signal on 21 January on the outskirts of Edinburgh before it showed up offshore and then disappeared. The golden eagle – named Fred – hatched at a nest in the […]

On 11 December 2017, Keith Riddoch was fined £500 at Inverness Sheriff Court for recklessly shooting a buzzard contrary to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 Section 1(1)(a). During an organised pheasant shoot at Ralia Estate, Newtonmore, in November 2016, the 65 year old from Aberdeen fired the first shot of the day injuring the […]

New technology will help crack down on crimes against raptors in England and Wales. Raptor persecution maps for England and Wales have been published to enable the police to clearly see where the highest incidents are taking place and focus enforcement efforts in the areas that need it most. The maps present the number of shootings, […]

Police Scotland acknowledges the conviction of Keith Riddoch, who has been convicted of the reckless killing of a buzzard in the Badenoch and Strathspey area. The 65-year-old from Aberdeenshire was found guilty of an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 following a trial at Inverness Sheriff Court on Monday, December 11. Riddoch shot […]

Police in Derbyshire, assisted by officers from the National Wildlife Crime Unit and Animal and Plant Health Agency, have executed a search warrant in the Chesterfield area, which resulted in the seizure of a number live falcons. Enquiries are continuing.

The latest Raptor Persecution & Poisoning Report for Northern Ireland, covering 2015 and 2016, has been released.    The main points are; 12 more confirmed raptor victims of persecution in Northern Ireland in 2015 and 2016 (6 buzzards, 5 peregrines, 1 sparrowhawk) Victims were poisoned (7) and shot (5) 7 incidents occurred in areas where […]