Showing posts with label Peregrine Falcon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peregrine Falcon. Show all posts

Saturday, October 21, 2017

A Gamekeeper From Bleasdale

Readers of Another Bird Blog will remember that I am a frequent summer visitor to the beautiful part of Lancashire known as Bowland.

The same readers may also know that the bird ringing site of Oakenclough mentioned frequently on this blog is bordered by the shooting estate of Bleasdale highlighted below.  As I turn into the track to our ringing site, immediately opposite is a gated track that heads alongside Harris End Fell and into the secret world of the Bleasdale estate. 

Bowland, Lancashire

I am grateful to http://raptorpolitics.org.uk/ for the following.

“28th September 2017 was a landmark day in Bowland’s dark history of ongoing raptor killing, when Mr James Hartley a 34 year old gamekeeper from the Bleasdale estate appeared in the dock at Preston Magistrates Court facing nine charges relating to the alleged killing of two Peregrine Falcons in April 2016 on the estate where he was employed. 

Each one the nine charges read out by the clerk are listed below: 

1) Killing a Schedule 1 wild bird. On 13 April 2016 at Bleasdale in the county of Lancashire, intentionally killed a wild bird included in Schedule 1 to the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, namely a Peregrine Falcon, contrary to sections 1(1)(a), 1(4) and 21(1) of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. 

2) Disturb the nesting site of a Schedule 1 wild bird. On 13 April 2016 at Bleasdale in the county of Lancashire, intentionally or recklessly disturbed a wild bird included in Schedule 1 to the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, namely a Peregrine Falcon, while it was in, on or near a nest containing eggs or young, contrary to sections 1(5)(a) and 21(1) of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. 

3) Killing a Schedule 1 wild bird. On 13 April 2016 at Bleasdale in the county of Lancashire, intentionally killed a wild bird included in Schedule 1 to the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, namely a Peregrine Falcon, contrary to sections 1(1)(a), 1(4) and 21(1) of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. 

4) Set trap/gin/snare etc to cause injury to wild bird. On 13 April 2016 at Bleasdale in the county of Lancashire, set in position a trap which was of such a nature and so placed as to be calculated to cause bodily injury to any wild bird coming in to contact with it, contrary to sections 5(1)(a) and 21(1) of the Wildlife & Countryside Act. 

5) Take a Schedule 1 wild bird. On 13 April 2016 at Bleasdale in the county of Lancashire, intentionally took a wild bird included in Schedule 1 to the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, namely a Peregrine Falcon, contrary to sections 1(1)(a), 1(4) and 21(1) of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. 

6) Possess live / dead Schedule 1 wild bird or its parts. On 13 April 2016 at Bleasdale in the county of Lancashire, had in your possession or control a dead wild bird included in Schedule 1 to the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, namely a Peregrine Falcon, contrary to sections 1(2)(a), 1(4) and 21(1) of the Wildlife & Countryside Act. 

7) Possess an article capable of being used to commit a summary offence under section 1 to 13 or 15-17. On 13 April 2016 at Bleasdale in the county of Lancashire, for the purpose of committing an offence, namely killing a Schedule 1 wild bird, namely a Peregrine Falcon, under section 1(1)(a), 1(4) and 21(1) of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, had in your possession a firearm which was capable of being used for committing the offence, contrary to section 18(2) of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. 

8) Possess an article capable of being used to commit a summary offence under section 1 to 13 or 15-17. On 12 April 2016 and 27 April 2016 at Bleasdale in the county of Lancashire, for the purpose of committing an offence, namely killing a Schedule 1 wild bird, namely a Peregrine Falcon, under section 1(1)(a), 1(4) and 21(1) of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, had in your possession hammer, trap and knife which were capable of being used for committing the offence, contrary to section 18(2) of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. 

9) Cause unnecessary suffering to a protected animal – Animal Welfare Act 2006. On 12 April 2016 and 15 April 2016 at Bleasdale in the county of Lancashire, caused unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, namely a Peregrine Falcon, by an act, namely trapping and leaving for a number of hours, and you knew or ought reasonably to have known that the act would have that effect or be likely to do so. 

When Mr Hartley was asked how did he plead, guilty or not guilty, he stated "not guilty". 

The offences came to light after the RSPB had installed a camera within the boundary of the Bleasdale Estate overlooking an occupied Peregrine Falcons nest on the estate. Footage captured showed an individual in camouflage clothing, setting a spring trap near the nest containing eggs. The female Peregrine was shown leaving her nest followed by 4 gunshots, after which the female Peregrine did not return to the nest. The male Peregrine remained at the site all day, believed to have been trapped in the device set earlier near the nest. Later in the evening a person is seen returning to the nest site and removing something. 

The lawyer for the Crown Prosecution Service explained that the defendant is the gamekeeper for this particular ‘beat’ on the Bleasdale Estate and during a police search of his property a bag was seized containing a number of tools. A forensic analysis showed that a wooden-handled hammer and an orange-handled knife both contained Peregrine DNA. 

The defendant gave a ‘no comment’ interview. 

The next court hearing is scheduled to take place on 11 January 2018 at Preston Magistrates Court and is expected to deal with legal arguments about the admissibility of video evidence. These legal arguments are likely to be crucial, for example did the estate provide approval to install the camera at an occupied Peregrine nest, and if so were any pre-conditions agreed between the RSPB and estate owner? Depending on the outcome of that hearing, a preliminary trial date was set to begin on 12 February 2018 and was expected to last for five days.” 

Peregrine Falcon

Readers, please ensure that the above account of this case reaches as many animal lovers as possible via Twitter, Facebook or whatever means possible. Just below this post you will see click-on buttons to Twitter, Facebook or email.

Linking this post to  Anni's Birding Blog.



Thursday, April 13, 2017

Timely Advice

Migrants are trickling north in ones and two without any signs of a major arrival to enliven a morning’s birding. Ringing is on hold while cold north westerlies predominate and this week I’ve been busy with half-term duties. 

I’m hoping to go birding Friday and/or Saturday, but in the meantime this week came timely reminders on the reporting of rare breeding birds from Mark Holling of the UK’s Rare Breeding Birds Panel and Mark Thomas of RSPB Investigations,  here.

They suggest a long list of species where news blackouts should apply in circumstances suggestive of breeding or potential breeding unless public viewing has been arranged:
Capercaillie 
Black-throated Diver 
Little Bittern 
Cattle Egret 
Great White Egret 
Purple Heron 
Eurasian Spoonbill 
Red-necked Grebe 
Slavonian Grebe 
Black-necked Grebe 
Honey Buzzard 
White-tailed Eagle 
Peregrine Falcon 
Montagu's Harrier 
Osprey 
Baillon's Crake 
Common Crane 
Black-winged Stilt 
Ruff 
Temminck's Stint 
Purple Sandpiper 
Green Sandpiper 
Wood Sandpiper 
Red-necked Phalarope 
Snowy Owl 
Long-eared Owl 
European Bee-eater 
Wryneck 
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker 
Golden Oriole 
Red-backed Shrike 
Penduline Tit 
Savi's Warbler
Marsh Warbler
Bluethroat 

Peregrine Falcon

Long-eared Owl

Lesser-spotted Woodpecker - Crossley ID Guide Britain & Ireland 

"By nature of their rarity, rare breeding birds are vulnerable to disturbance, but to do so deliberately is against the law. Although some species, particularly raptors, are still persecuted by game managers in some areas, there has been an increasing incidence of disturbance by birdwatchers and especially by bird photographers. Although such disturbance may be accidental, inconsiderate or careless behaviour can lead to birds deserting their nests or losing their eggs or young to predators.” 

The list includes species that are now beginning to make their mark in the UK as new colonisers but also one or two like Lesser-spotted Woodpecker, Long-eared Owl, Peregrine and even the once common Ruff, all subject to relentless chasing around pressure in this area should they appear either in or out of the breeding season. 

If only all bird watchers, including local ones, had taken note of the sensible advice and guidance above, we may have avoided the recent deliberate shooting dead of a Peregrine Falcon at St Anne’s-on-Sea, 15 miles from here and where the birds were subjected to almost daily visits and reportage on Internet social media.

Linking today to Eileen's Saturday Blog.

 

Friday, April 8, 2016

Village Scenes

The last five days week we’ve had the lot - spells of sunshine, hail stones, rain and blustery wind, then finishing off the week with fog. I set off early thinking the rising sun would burn off the fog quickly but it didn’t. As I drove through Pilling village there was a Barn Owl ghosting through the damp air. With the non-stop traffic rushing for work and Lancaster City I dare not stop. 

I parked up at Lane Ends and debated whether to continue driving or to go for a walk. Woodpigeons had decided to sit it out and not go anywhere for a while. There was a male Pied Wagtail on duty at the entrance to the car park.

Woodpigeon

Pied Wagtail

At Wrampool there were Reed Bunting and Meadow Pipit, and from their demeanour, both on territory. 

The visibility at Conder Green was really bad although lots of the usual stuff was reasonably close and visible. I picked up on a Common Sandpiper, 1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Little Grebe, 1 Grey Heron, a dozen or more Redshank, 12 Oystercatcher, 4 Shelduck, a single Snipe and 2 Goosander. In the “small“ category came 2 Pied Wagtail, 1 Reed Bunting, 4 Goldfinch, 3 Chaffinch and 2 Greenfinch. There was a Barn Owl here too, this one doing as the earlier one by appearing out of the murk and then vanishing out over the mist laden marsh. 

I was getting nowhere fast so I drove back towards Knott End village where the coast was clearer but cold. I parked the new Ferrari in a quiet spot where it couldn’t get damaged and then sat on the sea wall. It was from here and as the tide rolled in that I counted 290 Oystercatcher, 12 Redshank, 4 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Grey Heron, 2 Eider and 3 Cormorant. Somewhere was a Sandwich Tern calling, so possibly more than one but I couldn’t find the bird(s). 

Ferrari

A walk up river produced a Chiffchaff alongside the golf course, 2 Pied Wagtails, a Wheatear close to the old cottages and a single Meadow Pipit on the tidal defences. Across the river and at Fleetwood I could see a male Peregrine way up on the old RoRo terminal where it sheltered from the cold wind while retaining a view of the whole estuary. A wise bird. 

Wheatear

Meadow Pipit

Peregrine Falcon

Regular readers will know that I occasionally picture the village of Knott End just a mile or two from my home. The village is situated at the mouth of the Wyre Estuary at the extreme south and west of Morecambe Bay and just across the water from the historic fishing port of Fleetwood. Below is a video of the journey we sometimes make across the water where gulls, a variety of waders and seabirds like Cormorant, Eider, Little Egret and Grey Heron can be seen. Watch closely, there’s a Little Egret near the start of the video.
 

Back home. It's two-thirty and the sun is out. I just counted 7 Buzzards high over Stalmine village where I live, where a few Buzzards breed and where folk stop to say “hello”.

That’s village life for you.

Linking today to Anni's Birding and  Eileen's Saturday.

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