Ken Crane & Kate Nellist have been studying Golden Eagles on Skye & Raasay since 1984. They have seen peaks & troughs in productivity over the years but since 2005 the trough is clearly of a new and worrying order. In 2005 13 fledged chicks were recorded, equalling their lowest recorded number. In 2006 the number fell to 11, and then to 9 in 2007. (see graph) Ken & Kate are of the view that several factors may be contributing. The sheep stock on the island has been reduced by 35% since its peak in 1999 and the reduction in the availability of carrion over the winter months is particularly important for the adults to obtain good breeding condition. The growing numbers of White-tailed Eagles on the island are competing with the Golden Eagles for the same resources. Since 1984 the number of Golden Eagle pairs has remained relatively constant, but the addition of the White-tailed Eagles has increased the overall number of eagles by over 30% in the same period that sheep numbers have been reduced by 35%. With Skye being a popular tourist destination, the pressure of human disturbance has always been a problem. In recent years there has been an increase in guided wildlife tourism, which can focus the pressure on more specific locations and thereby contribute to breeding failure, and in extreme cases, desertion of territories. With the traditional importance of west coast Golden Eagles to the wider Scottish population, Ken & Kate believe that there is a need to take a wider perspective on what may be a growing threat to the stability of the population as a whole. They have therefore raised the problem within Highland RSG and also drawn it to the attention of SNH.

RSPB Scotland has produced a parliamentary briefing in response to renewed calls for the killing of sparrowhawks. The summary of the briefing is as follows:- "Proposals to kill or otherwise remove sparrowhawks to protect racing pigeon interests are not supported by published research. The most recent Scottish data show that sparrowhawks take less than 1% of released pigeons annually and, compared with other factors causing pigeon losses, this is a negligible threat to the interests of pigeon fanciers. In addition, non lethal alternatives have not been fully explored or deployed. In these circumstances, proposals for lethal control would infringe EU legislation. RSPB Scotland calls on all MSPs to oppose any relaxation of the laws that protect wildlife and to ensure that the legal protection of our sparrowhawks is maintained. MSPs overwhelmingly rejected any weakening of laws protecting birds of prey when this issue was examined in the recent passage of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004." Full information is available from Keith Morton at RSPB Scotland or in pdf format on request to this site.

Under the Convention on Migratory Species a meeting is to take place at Loch Lomond between 22-25 October, 2007. This is an International forum and the UK meeting will be hosted by the Scottish Government, Scottish Natural Heritage, DEFRA and the Environment Agency. The main objective of the meeting is to identify and elaborate an option for International co-operation on African-Eurasian migratory raptors under the convention on migratory species. This is a closed meeting but will be attended by Patrick Stirling-Aird, Secretary of SRSGs. Further details of the conference can be viewed at http://www.cms.int/bodies/meetings/regional/raptors/raptor_meeting.htm.

Speaking in a parliamentary debate on wildlife crime the Minister for Environment Michael Russel announced that the prevention, investigation and prosecution of wildlife crime in Scotland is to be reviewed. Paddy Tompkins HMCIC (Police) and Joe O'Donnell HMCI of Prosecution will stage a review of the way crimes against wildlife are investigated and considered for prosecution. Whilst there has been a great deal of rhetoric by successive Governments in recent years about the problems of wildlife crime, this has not always been reflected in the allocation of resources to deal with the problem. SRSGs welcome this review and intend to participate in it. The process is to commence next month and will report by early next year.

Sparrowhawk enthusiast Ian Todd has passed on information regarding an unusually large clutch of 11 eggs which was found on 1st June 2007. The nest was located 40 feet up a Sitka Spruce and was located in south Ayrshire. Although only a single female was ever seen it is suspected that two females laid in the same nest and one had probably been evicted - if you look closely at the eggs it is possible to identify two different sets. Unfortunately none of the eggs hatched and the nest was finally deserted around 10th July when it still contained 8 eggs.