The RSPB’s annual bird crime report found that there were 108 confirmed cases of raptors in the UK in 2021, with 80 in England – the second highest year for the country after a spate of cases in 2020. Confirmed incidents included 41 shootings or attempted shootings, 32 poisonings and 18 entrapment incidents. A total of 91 birds of prey were affected, including 50 magpies, 16 red kites, seven partridges and three goshawks, as well as a hen, bald eagle, golden eagle, two sparrows and a number of different owls. The RSPB warned that the annual totals in the report are only the tip of the iceberg and that many raptor kills are undetected and unreported. Image: Predator remains found in a well All birds of prey are protected by law but may be at risk of illegal prosecution, including some involved in game shooting who see them as a threat to stocks of pheasants, partridges or partridges shot for sport, the charity said. Norfolk and Dorset – two lowland areas dominated by pheasant and partridge shoots – recorded the highest number of incidents, with 13 and 12 respectively. The Bird Crime Report 2021 also warned that there has been a rise in the detection of the rat poison brodifacoum in birds of prey well beyond lethal levels, suggesting the chemical is being misused to deliberately target birds but also poses a threat to wildlife, pets and environment. Image: A peregrine falcon perched on a cliff ledge A rare white-tailed eagle, part of a release plan on the Isle of Wight to bring the once-extinct birds of prey back to England, was discovered in Dorset with seven times the lethal dose of brodifacoum, according to the RSPB. Mark Thomas, head of UK investigations at the RSPB, said: “The data in this report clearly shows that raptor persecution remains at a high level, especially in England, with over two-thirds of incidents involving land which is controlled for bird shooting’. Click to subscribe to ClimateCast wherever you get your podcasts He added: “The illegal shooting, trapping and poisoning of birds of prey has no place in modern society. “In a nature and climate emergency, the deliberate destruction of protected species for economic gain is completely devastating and unacceptable.”
