News : Feb 2015

£1,000 reward for information leading to conviction of masked gunmen seen attacking goshawk nest site in Cairngorms National Park

17 February 2015

RSPB Scotland is offering a £1,000 reward for information which leads to the conviction of masked gunmen who were secretly filmed shooting at a goshawk nest site in May last year. The video camera had been installed on Forestry Commission ground to monitor the progress of a goshawk nest in the Cairngorms National Park. Goshawks are one of the most heavily-persecuted raptors in the UK and their populations are severely constrained as a result. Full details of this crime here.

Fourth national golden eagle survey begins

12 February 2015

Members of the Scottish Raptor Study Group are participating in the fourth national golden eagle survey this year. Each year we regularly monitor approximately half of the Scottish golden eagle population, but every decade or so, we partner with other licensed raptor workers to try and cover the majority of eagle sites in a large, national survey. The results of these surveys allow us to assess long-term population trends and to identify particular problems or regional issues that may need closer monitoring. The results of the latest national survey are expected to be published after the breeding season and will be compared with the results of the last national survey which took place in 2003. Further details about this year’s national survey here.

‘Evicted’ sea eagle turns up in Dumfries & Galloway

6 February 2015

A young white-tailed eagle who was pushed from her nest by an intruding eagle last summer has turned up in Dumfries & Galloway. Her nest ‘eviction’ had been captured on a nest camera on the Isle of Mull last June and she had fallen 30ft to the ground. Climbers from the Forestry Commission managed to return her safely to her nest. She has recently been sighted in Wigtownshire and was identified by her leg rings. As young sea eagles wander widely during their first few years, she is not expected to stay in D&G. Full story here.