As you know I love wildlife and particularly our rich and diverse collection of birds, each of whom have a place in the delicate balance that exists in our overpopulated world. Last year I was fortunate enough to see close to where I live Two of our rarest birds of prey, firstly a pair of Goshawks and then a pair of Hen Harriers both of which were once common on or hills and dales but which today are persecuted to almost extinction. Several of those who successfully fledged in 2016 have been satellite tagged to track their movement and progress and to understand more about the birds habit and requirements, Sadly one by one they are disappearing often on sporting estates where driven grouse are the order of the day and where ignorant gamekeepers and in some cases landowners cannot abide the presence of a predator on their patch. Far be it from me to suggest that they and they alone  are responsible for the decline in raptors however an awful lot do disappear suddenly whilst known to be on large shooting estates. Not surprisingly there are the usual anti bloodsports brigade baying for blood egged on by the loony left who just seek anarchy, however this is  a problem that requires a solution which allows the predator and the predated to co-exist without fear of persecution. 

The cost to take part in a grouse shoot at one Yorkshire estate range from £35 per bird to £43 per bird and a large shoot can charge £33,000 per day. Potential revenue from let shooting is £120 per brace (a brace, in hunting, is two birds) with an average of 150 brace shot per day. So with birds dying at such a rate that leaves the Poor old Raptor persecuted for the sake of one or two irds a day max when one consides the other types of food avaiabe to it I think that is quite generous, With such high numbers of grouse being shot and the difficult and challenging nature of grouse shooting it beggars belief that this conflict has been alowed by government and the various organisations to fester and allowed to become an activists platform. What does one need to do to preserve the rural way of life and the future of our wonderful Raptors?

Footnote,

One survivor of 2016 is called DEECEE which I found amusing all were given names and there progress can be tracked just by googleing the name.