Hen Harrier Day at Carsington Water in the Peak District on the 11th August saw over 1500 people gather to celebrate the Hen Harrier and campaign to see more Hen Harriers in our skies.
So what is Hen Harrier Day all about?
Well, for people new to the issues around Hen Harriers, here’s a little summary:
Fact: Driven grouse shooting is wholly underpinned by wildlife crime.
Hen Harriers are a symbol of the widespread illegal killing of birds of prey and the intensive damaging management of our upland landscape associated with driven grouse moor across the UK.
And it has to stop.
Here is a petition to sign here.
If you want to know a bit more before you sign, read on…
What is a Hen Harrier?
Hen Harriers are extraordinary birds of prey often known as skydancers for their aerial display of roller-coaster flight. They are rare in the UK.
Why are Hen Harriers rare in the UK?
There should be more than 300 breeding pairs across England alone, but in 2018 there were only nine successful nests.
The core reason for this is because they are illegally shot, trapped and poisoned by those in the driven game shooting industry. A study of satellite tagged Hen Harriers shows that 72% of them are likely to have been killed over land associated with driven grouse moor.
This is a Hen Harrier that has been illegally killed and a report about it here.
It is not just Hen Harriers that are illegally killed.
Other birds of prey are illegally killed too. A recent Scottish Natural Heritage Report showed that satellite tagged eagles are more likely to ‘disappear’ over land associated with driven grouse moor. Driven grouse shooting is responsible for the demise of the Golden Eagle and its inability to recover as a breeding bird across Scotland.
This is an image of a golden eagle with a foot trapped in a Fenn trap. Clearly whoever laid this trap did not intend the bird to fly away. This bird is likely to be dead by now having suffered a long and lingering death. A report about it here
What is Driven Grouse Shooting?
Driven Grouse Shooting is a ‘sport’ that gained popularity in Victorian times. Vast areas of upland are burned to produce heather for the production of red grouse. This is an intensive land use. Grouse are produced in unnaturally high numbers and as a consequence they suffer disease and need to be medicated. Driven grouse shooting involves a line of people (called beaters) who walk in a line to drive the grouse toward the waiting people (called guns) who sit in round structures called shooting butts. The guns then shoot as many grouse as they can. A group of 8 guns can pay up to £35,000 for a day’s shooting.
Because the high numbers of grouse produced, many predators are legally killed (including foxes, stoats, weasels and crows) and many are illegally killed (birds of prey), and many non-target animals get ‘accidentally’ caught in traps. (pine martens, ring ouzels, dippers and sometimes domestic pets)
The land is burned to produce heather for grouse. This burning dries out the important blanket bog and also prevents other habitats from establishing. This intensive land use has a detrimental effect upon carbon capture, biodiversity, water and air quality. It is also implicated in flooding downstream.
Because this land use has been in practice for generations, people often see this land as dramatic and beautiful. But once you see it for what it is; devastated and burned hillsides, it is impossible to see otherwise.
Driven Grouse Shooting is totally underpinned by wildlife crime. Unless Hen Harriers are shot, trapped or poisoned, they breed very well and rise in such numbers on a keepered moor and eat so many red grouse, they make a moor economically unviable and will put a grouse moor out of business. Hence why they have been heavily persecuted.
Isn’t there something called brood management whereby young Hen Harriers are taken from grouse moor and released elsewhere?
Yes…and is a totally ridiculous scheme. It appeases the criminals who have been killing these birds for years. It is a legal way of removing Hen Harriers from the moor. It does nothing to stop Hen Harriers being killed when they fly back over moor, and it does nothing to stop other birds of prey being killed.
Why has brood management been given the go-ahead by Natural England?
Good question. The answer lies in politics, land ownership and weak governance.
So should driven grouse shooting be banned?
Yes. Absolutely. If you haven’t done already please sign here.
So what happens after a ban?
Well, the answer lies in restoration of the wild…rewilding our uplands to ensure a landscape of mixed habitats which will provide greater biodiversity, carbon capture, water and air quality…not to mention our own enjoyment of being in wild places and seeing wonderful wildlife. For some current and future rewilding plans look up Rewilding Britain, Scotland the Big Picture and Revive.
Hen Harrier Day 2019 was an incredible day, bringing together many people who want to bring and end to persecution and the ongoing devastation to our uplands.
The day was organised by the founders of Wild Justice:
Ruth Tingay, Mark Avery and Chris Packham; all fierce defenders of the wild. Wild Justice was founded to fight for wildlife using the legal system and to challenge and change existing laws.
Photo credit: Guy Shorrock
Mark Avery’s book Inglorious is a fantastic read for those who want a deeper insight into the issues, and Mark has been key in bringing this issue into the public consciousness. The groundswell of support has seen this recent petition to ban driven grouse shooting reach over 50,000 signatures in just three days.
Hen Harrier Day 2019 was a day of celebration of the Hen Harrier and also one of voicing concern for these incredible birds.
For me it was also a fantastic chance to meet many fellow Twitter folk in person and make connections with others brought together by this bird.
The highlight of the day was hearing young writers read their poems from an anthology curated by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust. It’s a beautiful and powerful collection of young people’s poems and artwork.
You can buy it here to support Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and Wild Justice. It’s an emotive and powerful plea to save the Hen Harrier.
This is Lucy Farrell’s poem about Hen Harriers. I have had the pleasure of meeting Lucy and her family before, and she and her brother held a Hen Harrier day at their school to raise awareness about the issues. Lucy also wrote a poem for a collection of poems and artwork to be sent to Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland to ask for real action to put stop to the killing of Eagles.
Hen Harrier Day had inspirational speeches by:
Iolo Williams His rousing speech spoke about his sighting of a hen harrier and how much they mean to him and to all of us and the need to protect them.
Hardylal Dhindsa (Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner) spoke of the urgency to stop these crimes happening on his watch. The Dark Peak area is a known black hole for raptors.
Tim Birch (Head of Living Landscapes, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust) who spoke passionately about the need to restore the wild to the Derbyshire landscape.
Ruth Tingay, Eagle Warrior and defender of the wild, spoke about the continued crimes by the driven grouse shooting industry and how the science and the evidence expose the years of lies. And yet despite this, there is still silence from both the First Minster of Scotland and Westminster about persecution.
Cathleen Thomas of the RSPB Sky Dancer Project spoke of the frustration of tagging Hen Harrier chicks only to see them ‘disappear’ over grouse moor. Frustration and sadness that turns to anger and determination to save them.
Dan Rouse (Welsh ornithologist and presenter) spoke of the hen harrier situation in Wales and of a combined approach to save these wonderful birds.
Ian Thomson (Head of Investigations RSPB) spoke passionately about the need to stop the continued slaughter of birds of prey and the how those in the driven grouse shooting industry have been getting away with it for years, even evading prosecution despite video evidence of crimes.
Nick Lyall (Superintendent and chair of Raptor Persecution Priority Delivery Group) spoke about his work and the importance of it to ensure the next generation can see hen harriers in our skies.
Tessa Gregory (Lawyer at Leigh Day) spoke of her work for Wild Justice and how incensed she became to hear about the illegal persecution and environmental destruction.
Dom Dyer who gave a thunder and lighting speech about the injustice of the driven grouse shooting issues.
Natalie Bennet who spoke of a time in the near future when we can celebrate the Glorious 12th, not because it is the beginning of the grouse shooting season, but because it will be the first 12th when grouse shooting has been banned.
And finally by Chris Packham, who has been an inspiration on this campaign, peacefully, yet determinedly exposing the truth about driven grouse shooting.
In the face of trolls and death threats, he has maintained his humour and integrity. A genuine hero.
I was really honoured to be asked to speak at this Hen Harrier Day.
I wanted to look back at history and draw parallels between the founders of the RSPB, three women who campaigned to stop the trade in feathers for fashion and between this campaign now. Back in 1891 those three women were told they were silly and sentimental and that they were wrong, that the natural world was there for the taking. They were told they were dangerous activists and fanatics. And they were told to shut up. But they won because they didn’t stay silent. They exposed the lies, they won hearts and minds and because they never gave up.
And now in 2019, in the middle of this campaign to ban driven grouse shooting, Mark Avery, Ruth Tingay and Chris Packham, have exposed the lies of the grouse shooting industry with truth. They have won hearts and minds of people incensed at the persecution and environmental damage. And they will not give up, and neither should we.
Because driven grouse shooting is theft;
To shoot a hen harrier is the theft of a life
To burn a moor is theft of a landscape and deprive it of habitats that could be rich in biodiversity.
To continue driven grouse shooting is theft of the future, for future generations to have the chance to see these magnificent birds in truly wild landscapes.
Please sign the petition and add your voice.
These issues inspired me to write Sky Dancer, a book set on a fictional estate in the Dark Peak area. The story follows Joe, a gamekeeper’s son. I wanted the story to look at both sides of the argument and understand both points of view. But when a Hen Harrier is shot, Joe is faced by having to make a decision of doing what is right, over what is seen as traditional. It’s a decision that will drive his family and community apart.
And after hearing about the disappearance of an eagle named Fred, and also reading the Scottish Natural Heritage Eagle Report, I wrote another book on this issue, called Eagle Warrior about a girl who discovers that an eagle is threatened on her Scottish farm.
I’ll to be sharing the stage with Ruth Tingay at Edinburgh International Book Festival on the 23rd August 2019 at 15.45.. to talk about eagles, books and what we can do to stop persecution. Please do come and add your voice for the eagles.
