Reply from my MP to my letter about the illegal persecution of Hen Harriers

When I wrote to my MP about the illegal persecution of Hen Harriers I didn't expect her to be on the raptors side - she is a Conservative after all. Hence I assumed her views would be in support of the sort of wealthy people/institutions who own (driven) grouse moors and also on the side of the people can afford to indulge in the rarified hobby of red grouse shooting. After all, these sort of people probably vote Conservative! Anyway, not surprisingly, her reply to my letter shows that my MP does not fully understand the issues facing the survival of the Hen Harriers as a breeding species - nor does she seem to care. But, even if I can't expect her to have any particular interest or expertise in wildlife issues (because perhaps maybe be the natural world doesn't float her boat), I do expect her to support the upholding of the law which, judging by her second paragraph, she is not completely prepared to do. It really is shocking and disappointing that she says it may be OK for grouse moor owners and their gamekeepers to break the law by "attempting to scare away birds" and suggesting if this does not work then they could be shot. This in spite of the fact that they are clearly protected by Section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. In her penultimate paragraph she suggests that egg stealing of Hen Harrier eggs for egg collections may be one reason why Hen Harriers fail to successfully breed in the Peak District. Is she saying that more have tried to breed there and have had their eggs stolen? I think not as this crime would have received publicity in the local, even if the thieves had not been caught. I think she may be confusing last year's disappearance of the the Peregrine nestlings from a nest on The Roaches.

Since the Hen Harrier Day protest on 8th August and since I wrote the letter it was discovered that a pair of Hen Harriers had bred on land near the site of the protest that is owned by the National Trust. Five chicks fledged from their nest and since then three of these have died see 

http://raptorpersecutionscotland.wordpress.com/2014/09/13/3-of-the-5-peak-district-hen-harrier-chicks-already-dead/

Toad, dragonfly and fungi.

I just had a pleasant walk along the Caldon Canal to Hazelhurst Junction and back to Endon on the disused railway line. Notably I spotted Grey Wagtail and Kingfisher, both near the junction itself. other birds seen and hear were Chiffchaffs, Long-tailed Tits, Kestrel, Bullfinch, Wrens, Corvids and Goldfinch. On the way back I managed to get photos of: a Common Toad; probably a male judging by its muscular front legs, A Common Darter basking on an iron rail, and Sulphur Tuft fungi growing on a rotting stump.

Late flying butterflies enjoying the warm September weather.

This week I have seen six species of butterfly visiting my garden. The Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock (top and second down photos) and the Brimstone and Comma (bottom two photo) will probably survive the winter (predation and sufficient body fat stores permitting), whilst the Red Admiral and Speckled Wood (middle photo) will die once the wintery weather arrives. Speckled Woods overwinter as caterpillars or chrysalises whilst up until recently no stage of the Red Admiral life cycle has been able to tolerate British winters, however, with the advent of a warming climate it is expected that the adults will be able to survive our winters and become a resident breeding species. Indeed in recent years there have been occasional very early sightings of this species and these are thought to be individuals that have overwintered in Britain http://butterfly-conservation.org/679-823/red-admiral-.html. Up until this happens on a regular basis we rely on a regular supply of migrant Red Admirals to temporarily populate our islands every year.

by feeding on a sunny September day these butterflies are building up their fat stores that will enable them to survive the winter months.

Galls in my garden.

Two types of gall seen in my garden in Endon this week. The first is the familiar Bedeguar Gall on a Dog rose caused by Diplolepis rosae ( a wasp) and the second is (according to Wikipedia) Hawthorn Button-Top Gall caused by a midge Dasineura crataegi.

The female wasp lays her eggs on the leaf bud.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasineura_crataegi

two moths recently seen in Endon

A plume moth in my bedroom.

 A lava of an Elephant Hawk Moth crossing the footpath in front of me in my street. Presumably it was off to pupate having spent the last few weeks eating the leaves of local Rosebay Willowherbs, Evening Primroses or garden Fushias. The larva is about 80mm long, so easily spotted when you are about to step on it!

Hen Harriers and Giant Pandas - a letter to my MP.

Dear Ms Bradley

This week the plight of two iconic animals have made the national news. One, the Giant Panda, has a very well known background, henceTian Tian, a female panda resident in Edinburgh zoo, made the headlines because she has conceived and is expected to give birth fairly soon. The other species is the Hen Harrier, a raptorial bird whose fate is intimately linked to the so-called “glorious twelfth”, in other words, the first day of the grouse shooting season.

Even though it is a British native species, the history of the Hen Harrier is probably not as well-known to the public as is that of the Giant Panda. However, like the pandas, they too are endangered. In fact, according to the RSPB and other ornithological organisations, they are close to being extinct as a breeding species in England.

In England, Hen Harriers breed in heathery moorland landscapes. The RSPB estimate that there is sufficient suitable habitat to support more than 300 breeding pairs - however this year only two, or possibly three pairs, have managed to successfully rear any young to fledgeling stage. The Peak District is one of the areas that holds suitable habitat for Hen Harriers, though in spite of this Hen Harriers are rarely seen in the Peak District. I have never seen one even though I regularly visit that park.

Because of this, last Sunday (10^th August 2014), I attended a protest gathering which was intended to highlight the plight of Hen Harriers. The meeting, and several others that were held at other sites in England on the same day. They all took place in upland areas which represent the sort of habitat in which Hen Harriers choose to breed. The one I attended was at the Derwent dam near Ladybower Reservoir in the Derbyshire Peak District - a place I chose because I walk and watch wildlife there.

Hen Harriers, their nests and young are protected from being harmed or disturbance under Section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. And yet there is overwhelming evidence that the lack of successful breeding Hen Harriers in England is due to their illegal persecution by the gamekeepers who manage driven grouse moors. The gamekeepers believe that, without ridding the moors of Hen Harriers and other wild grouse predators, their moors will not support profitable Red Grouse shoots. This may be true, but even if it is, this cannot possibly justify breaking the law. So the purpose of the Hen Harrier Day gathering was to publicise the issue and to encourage grouse moor managers/owners to admit that they are acting illegally and to urge them to stop doing so. (Incidentally there has been a body of research into methods of reducing Hen Harrier predation on Red Grouse – so gamekeepers are not helpless to act to control grouse predation by Hen Harriers)

Chris Packham, from BBC TV's Springwatch, attended Hen Harrier Day in the Peak District and he gave an emotional talk on his feelings about the ruthless killing of Hen Harriers. He compared the act with slashing the paintings of John Constable. As he said, both are part of the culture of the English landscape. If someone were to go in to an art gallery and slash one of those paintings there would be a public outcry and no-doubt politicians would be calling for the full force of the law to be vented on the culprit. In contrast when Hen Harriers are poisoned, shot or otherwise illegally killed we are told there are insufficient resources to investigate the crimes and prosecute the perpetrators. We want this to change. We want the government to allocate sufficient funds to the police and wildlife charities to investigate these crimes. We want this issue to be taken seriously.

I hope you agree with me that the laws protecting Hen Harriers should be upheld. I hope that you will use your position as MP to urge the appropriate ministers (DEFRA and Home Secretary) to ensure that grouse moor managers and owners comply with the law, and that the wildlife crimes investigators have adequate resources to carry out their jobs.

Chris Packham talkng to Hen Harrier Day protestors. 

In spring Hen Harriers indulge in a spectacular aerial courtship display in which each of the pair demonstrates their how strength and agility will enable them to successfully rear a brood of chicks. It is called “skydancing”. If we act now there is a strong chance that we too will be able once again to watch this breathtaking phenomenon in our local National Park!  

Hen Harrier Day in the Peak District

Here are some photos from the Hen Harrier Day protest at the base of the Derwent Water dam near Fairholmes visitor centre. We were protesting about the illegal killing or Hen Harriers on red grouse moors in England. Ecological studies estimate that there should be about 300 breeding pairs of Hen Harriers in the upland areas of England. this year there were only three. These birds do well in areas of Scotland were there are no grouse moors. There is plenty of evidence (see http://birdersagainst.org/hen-harrier-day-overview/) to suggest that the birds are being poisoned, trapped, shot and having their eggs and nests destroyed by gamekeepers who are managing grouse shoots.

Chris Packham.

Dr. Mark Avery (with the magaphone)