Situated in the Peak District National Park, Dove Stone Nature Reserve is owned by United Utilities and is managed in partnership with the RSPB. This haven for wildlife attracts up to 100,000 visitors annually. It is also the home to breeding Peregrine Falcons.
Unfortunately, the Peak District National Park is no stranger to raptor persecution, with continuing raptor persecution being cited as the reason for the closure of the Peak District Bird of Prey Initiative in 2023.
In early April a Peregrine was found grounded on the Nature Reserve. It was taken to a vet where an x-ray revealed that it had been shot and severely injured by someone using a shotgun. The pellets, which can be seen on the x-ray, had caused such severe trauma that the bird would not have survived and had to be euthanised.
A subsequent post-mortem concluded that a puncture wound in the bird’s chest and wing, caused by shotgun pellets, would have immediately disabled the bird preventing it from flying. It was evident therefore that the bird was shot at, or near, the location where it was found.
The killing of this Peregrine was not a random, opportunistic act of wildlife vandalism. The area that the bird was found in is close to the main road with a reservoir to the south. The person responsible used a shotgun. This Peregrine was shot by an individual who in all likelihood was targeting birds of prey on the nature reserve. It was a premeditated act.
Whilst the Peregrine population is increasing in the English lowlands, towns and cities across the UK, there are vast tracts of their historical upland stronghold that are now devoid of breeding birds. This situation didn’t just happen naturally, it is the result of persistent persecution over many, many years. Data collated by the RSPB reveals that there have been 182 confirmed Peregrine persecution incidents across the UK between 2003 and 2022. Thirty Peregrines were known to have been killed or injured between 2018 and 2022 in England. Of these 19 were shot.
Is it a coincidence that a significant proportion of raptor persecution incidents recorded by the RSPB were on or adjacent to land managed for gamebird shooting and the Dove Stone Nature Reserve is adjacent to land used for gamebird shooting? Or that raptor workers in the area have reported that the Goshawk that had been observed breeding nearby also disappeared?
The RSPB has offered a £5,000 reward for information leading to a successful prosecution and the amount has been matched by the Peak District National Park Authority bringing the total to £10,000.
If you have any information, please call Derbyshire Police on 101 and quote crime reference number: 24000198336.
Alternatively, you can call the RSPB anonymously on their dedicated Raptor Crime Hotline on 0300 999 0101.
NERF
6 May 2024
Northern England Raptor Forum 