Suspicion as tagged hen harrier disappears in southern Scotland

A satellite-tagged hen harrier has been reported missing in the south of Scotland, becoming the fourth of the species to vanish since lockdown began.

Conservationists fear the bird of prey has become a victim of wildlife crime.

The last known location of the one-year-old male, named Fingal, was near Thornhill, in Dumfries and Galloway - in an area of moorland managed for game bird shooting.

Police Scotland carried out a search of the area but found no trace of Fingal or his tag, which has not transmitted since 19 May.

Fingal was born last year and fitted with a satellite tag, which stopped transmitting in May

Hen harriers are among the most persecuted raptor species in the UK.

Their diet consists mainly of small mammals, but they also eat other bird – including grouse.

When a satellite tagged bird dies of natural causes, its tag usually continues to transmit – allowing the body to be recovered.

Conservationists claim the failure of four “highly reliable” hen harrier tags in similar circumstances would be unlikely and “strongly suggests human interference”.

Fingal takes the total number of hen harriers known to have gone missing in suspicious circumstances or confirmed to have been illegally killed across the UK to 45 since 2018.

His disappearance has prompted renewed calls for Scotland to urgently bring in a licensing scheme for grouse estates in a bid to help stamp out illegal killing of protected birds of prey.

“This has become a depressingly familiar story,” said Ian Thomson, head of investigation for RSPB Scotland.

“Yet again a satellite-tagged bird of prey has disappeared suddenly and inexplicably on a grouse moor and is presumed killed.

“These birds will continue to disappear until grouse shooting estates are licensed.”

But landowners and gamekeepers have hit back at the claims, accusing conservationists of smearing reputations “in pursuit of a political objective”.

The final signals from Fingal’s tag came from an area leased and managed by land business Buccleuch.

Benny Higgins, executive chairman of Buccleuch, said he was “concerned” by implications that the bird had come to harm at the hands of the firm’s gamekeeping team.

“We condemn any incident of wildlife crime and fully support Police Scotland in their work in dealing with such incidents,” he said.

“Buccleuch is extremely proud of our record in recent years in trying to rebuild the hen harrier population, hosting several nests on our land.

“There has been no suggestion that any of our gamekeeping staff were involved in this incident nor were even questioned by police.

“It is troubling that more than three months after this incident, the matter is publicised in a way that smears the reputation of responsible land managers and is done in pursuit of a political objective – the licensing of grouse shooting.”

The species became extinct in mainland Britain during the 19th century, due largely to persecution and changes in land use.

After the Second World War, the birds re-colonised much of their previous upland range from remaining populations in Orkney and the Hebrides, benefitting from new legislation protecting wildlife, a reduction in game-keepering activity and land use changes such as wide-scale forestry planting in upland areas.

However, the species has remained rare in the UK, with a breeding population estimated at 545 pairs.

Scotland is the UK stronghold for the population with 460 pairs at the most recent count.

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