For photographers many of the best opportunities literally arrive on your doorstep and that was certainly the case for Jackie Freeman from Devon recently. Looking out her kitchen window she observed a Goshawk take out a Carrion Crow then carry it below a hedge in her garden. Jackie was able to take a good number of shots whilst the bird, which looks like a young female continued to feed unconcerned. This is one of Jackie's fine shots and there is another in the Gallery.

The AMUS recovery centre in the south of Extremadura, Spain was founded in 1995 to answer the need to recuperate injured birds in this area. Though many birds are admitted to the centre, Montagu's Harriers are the most common because the birds nest in arable crops - there are 150-200 pairs in the area. Harvest time is now earlier which makes Harrier nests vulnerable. There is considerable co-operation with landowners and farmers but despite this a number of nests are destroyed and chicks orphaned and taken into care. The project is looking for two volunteers to help with nest-finding effort starting at the beginning of May this year. This is a great opportunity for any budding raptor workers who should be over 21 years and able to drive. Anyone out there interested should contact Fergus Crystal at ferguscrystal@yahoo.co.uk. Image by Fergus Crystal.

A map showing bird of prey hotspots in Scotland is published to-day as part of a new drive to stamp out the killings. The Scottish Government backed move was hailed by conservationists for providing the first picture of the scale of the crime and the extent to which it was backed by landowners. Scottish Rural Property and Business Association, which represents landowners, said the map marked a potential watershed in tackling the issue. Douglas McAdam, its chief executive, said: "With the publication of this report, we move to a position where we are looking at official government verified facts, rather than unofficial reports, where often incidents that might not be illegal are captured in the reported persecution statistics. "I hope this report marks a turning point where we are all focused on making progress to eliminate all forms of wildlife crime, and on finding resolution to this complex problem." The map was devised after a shake-up of the Partnership for Action against Wildlife Crime in Scotland, which includes the main interest groups. Members agreed independently verified data would enable them to better jointly tackle the issue. The poisoning figures were produced by the Scottish Government's science and advice for Scottish agriculture division. The map shown is Crown Copyright. Ministers said it marked a significant step forward because poisoning of birds of prey had often been a source of contention between conservationists and land managers. The map locates 88 incidents in which raptors were poisoned over the past five years, stretching from the Borders to the Western Isles. The greatest single concentration was 12 incidents on the Clydesdale/Nithsdale border in the south west. The RSPB recorded a red kite poisoned at Wanlockhead in 2007 and five buzzards poisoned at Leadhills in 2006-7 alone. There were five incidents in which birds were poisoned around Granton-on-Spey in the Highlands and five on the border between Midlothian and the Scottish Borders. More than one bird was killed in some incidents. A table of bird deaths has also been published, which shows 132 birds of prey were poisoned over the five-year period. These peaked at 34 raptors in 2006 and fell to 16 last year, but were lower prior to 2004. Deaths in 2008 include the first sea eagle poisoned for five years, which was found in Angus, and a total of 13 Buzzards, which make up the largest number of cases as Scotland's most common bird of prey. Environment Minister Michael Russell said: "It is appalling that our birds of prey are still faced with persecution. I applaud those involved for working together on this important issue and hope their efforts will result in a safer Scotland for our birds of prey." Whilst this is an 'official' map there is little difference from the RSPB map which was shown in a news item on this site only a month ago. In respect of these figures it should also be borne in mind that many carcases of poisoned birds will be buried or simply never found so we are probably dealing with the tip of the iceberg. Whilst the use of poisons to kill birds of prey is criminal and indefensible, unfortunately there are other means such as trapping and shooting which are still widely used within the shooting and game rearing communities, and which can be equally difficult to detect. SRSGs have maintained for years that the criminal persecution against birds of prey is endemic in some areas and these government produced figures add weight to that long held view. SRSGs welcome and fully support the positive approach taken by the Scottish Government and the work of PAW Scotland. For more on this story see http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/Wildlife-Habitats/bird-poisoning-map http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland/Bird-of-prey-poisoning-map.4864489.jp

Following pressure from the National Farmers Union and Crofting interests, the Scottish Government has announced that the rules on controlling Ravens will be relaxed as a result of alleged predation on young livestock. These rules will apply in the Highlands, Islands and Argyll. Where predation becomes a serious problem in spring, the numbers permitted to be shot will be increased in consultation with Scottish Natural Heritage. Raven image by David Whitaker from our Raptor Gallery. Full details were revealed in a letter from the Minister for Environment to Jamie McGrigor MSP who was believed to be representing NFU interests. The changes in detail are as follows:- 1.In areas where the problem is most prevalent, bag limits will be increased , following discussion with the local SNH office on appropriate numbers; this will reduce the need to apply for additional licences to raise the limit of the number of birds which can be taken at a later date. 2. In circumstances where an individual has a recurring problem the local area office will consider issuing a two-year licence, so that action can be taken immediately a problem arises. These licenses will state the number the number of birds which can be taken in each year. 3. We are now prepared to consider issuing licenses allowing the use of decoys where a case can be made that this is the only way to draw birds that are causing damage close enough to target an individual to be shot as part of an overall scaring regime. The letter from the Minister went on to say that a cull would not be justified or compatible with the law and that the overall approach remains that of developing effective scaring techniques. Best practice guidance is being produced for farmers. Also see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7813429.stm There is also a useful explanation on the NFU site http://www.nfus.org.uk/info_detail.asp?infoID=1291

Since 2002 Natural England's Hen Harrier Recovery Project has monitored the numbers of breeding Hen Harriers in England. For the first time, new tracking technologies have been used to monitor the fate of Hen Harriers during the non-breeding season. The report provides a summary of the species' recent status in England and evidence that illegal persecution continues to thwart the efforts of the conservation community to restore its former range and numbers. Hen Harrier image by www.skye-birds.com. The key findings of the report are: The English Hen Harrier population remains perilously small, with no more than 23 nesting attempts in any one year in the period 2003-2008. Productivity from successful nests is high, but very few nesting attempts are successful on grouse moors. There is compelling evidence that persecution continues, both during and following the breeding season. Persecution continues to limit Hen Harrier recovery in England. These findings are perhaps not surprising to us in Scotland. We should also not be surprised that despite Natural England providing a positive focus on the species the persecution levels have continues unabated. For press coverage of the report see (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1099643/Gamekeepers-killing-hen-harriers.html, http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/dec/22/endangered-habitats-species-hen-harriers, http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/gamekeepers-kill-off-last-of-hen-harriers-1207390.html.)

David Stroud, JNCC's Senior Ornithological Adviser, has been appointed MBE in the New Year Honours list for services to nature conservation. David has lead responsibility within the country conservation agencies for the UK's national implementation of the Ramsar Convention and its international linkages. David was a key founder of the Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme and more recently has been instrumental in the drafting of the Convention on Migratory Species International Agreement on Raptors - see http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=548&ArticleID=5958&l=en). The founder chairman of the SRMS Des Thompson commented "It is really heartening to see the quiet, painstaking and resourceful efforts of David appreciated in this way. Those of us who have seen David working tirelessly at Government conventions, often drafting texts well into the early hours, feel the honour is richly deserved. David has a unique understanding of international conservation legislation and has been massively effective in deploying this for the benefit of wild birds and their habitats." Members of SRSGs extend their sincere congratulations to David on his award. Image by Des Thompson.