The RSPB Liverpool Local Group: August 2018

Friday, 17 August 2018

Mapping Raptor Persecution

Today, we’re very pleased to be launching the Raptor Persecution Map Hub – a set of online maps which we believe provide the most complete picture of known, confirmed raptor persecution incidents across the UK.

For some time, we’ve felt the need for a centralised ‘hub’ for raptor persecution data to sit, and be easily accessed. So the Map Hub was born. It’s new, interactive, and pulls everything into one place for the first time. You can search by year, incident type, county and country, visualise the incidents on a map and corresponding graph, and see where the highest concentration of incidents have occurred.

Currently it covers the five-year timespan of 2012-2016, and will be added to each year.

The persecution of birds of prey is a widespread and relentless problem in the UK, and is affecting some of our most iconic and vulnerable species, like hen harriers and golden eagles. It has been a National Wildlife Crime Priority since 2009, but despite this, the criminality continues. Every week the RSPB’s Investigations team get reports of yet another raptor being shot, trapped or poisoned. But for every one report we receive, we know there are many more that go undetected and unreported. As such, these figures only scratch the surface of the true extent of raptor persecution in the UK.

The Map Hub comprises two interactive maps – one which can be filtered by year and incident type, and the other that provides an overview ‘heat map’ of confirmed incidents across the UK. In the heat map, the black and red squares depict areas with the highest density of known incidents. For the timeframe 2012-2016, most of these blackspots occur in upland areas: in North Yorkshire, the Scottish borders and Aberdeenshire. This is consistent with what independent research has revealed about the persecution of birds of prey on land managed for driven grouse shooting.

Currently the Map Hub only covers a five-year period, so these ‘blackspot’ areas may change. Over time the Map Hub will evolve and be added to each year, and should become THE ‘go to’ portal for everyone to see and understand what’s going on where. The maps are designed to be used by everyone, from our law enforcement partners to members of the public.

The more people who are aware of the issues and where they occur, the more empowered we all become to pull together, work in partnership and maximise opportunities for tackling these issues head on. This should all help to prevent and detect raptor persecution, and to bring offenders to justice.

You can view the Raptor Persecution Map Hub here.

Monday, 6 August 2018

Seabird Ecology Group, University of Liverpool - Free lecture by Cleo Small

Dear RSPB Liverpool

I'm part of the organising group for the 14th International Seabird Group Conference in Liverpool this September.

Cleo

As part of the conference we are opening up the first plenary by Cleo Small from the RSPB & Birdlife International to non-delegates, which I'm wondering whether members of the RSPB Liverpool group would be interested in. The talk will focus on global conservation of seabirds, including success stories and solutions for future conservation of the world's seabirds. Tickets are free, and available to book online via the conference website.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/global-seabird-conservation-hoisting-the-mast-for-hope-on-a-stormy-sea-tickets-48334977218

Global seabird conservation: hoisting the mast for hope on a stormy sea

Cleo Small, RSPB & Birdlife International

Most seabird populations and species are declining, many to globally threatened levels. At sea, commercial fisheries and pollution are taking their toll; on land, alien invasive predators and habitat disturbance and destruction are impacting many colonies. Climate change may cause (or exacerbate) problems in both domains. However, the last two decades have also seen notable successes in eradicating alien predators (mainly on uninhabited islands) and in finding solutions to seabird bycatch in longline and trawl fisheries. I will present the view from BirdLife International on whether we have reasons to be optimistic for the future of the world's seabirds, by reviewing some current and prospective global initiatives, including the development of new research and monitoring techniques, as well as pioneering collaborations involving governments, non-governmental organisations, scientists and civil society.

I would be grateful if you could pass this on to any members that may be interested in attending!

Thanks very much

Alice Trevail

PhD student in the Seabird Ecology Group of the University of Liverpool

Hen Harrier Day 2018

We’re missing our Hen Harriers and we want them back.

This year we are marking the Inglorious 12th on our home patch.. we got it to PARKGATE, so be there

Join the official Hen Harrier Day protest event at Parkgate, Wirral 12noon Sunday 12/8/18.

The Parkgate message to our RSPB members who share their disgust and sadness at this persecution for the sake of a minority's so called 'sport'....

*Satellite tagged Aalin disappeared, assumed dead

Hen Harriers are still being heavily persecuted by the Driven Grouse Shooting fraternity, already this year two satellite tagged Harriers from this year’s broods have disappeared in suspicious circumstances. England still has fewer than a handful of breeding pairs and nobody is getting prosecuted for the illegal persecution of this iconic species.

It is up to all of us to bring pressure to bear on the powers that be - politicians, the police, the CPS and DEFRA/Natural England to take this situation seriously. To enable us to do that we need to speak with a unified voice and a very loud one. We also need to get our message across to the general public, for whom this issue has little, or of no relevance. We need to get their support if we are going to turn this super-tanker of destruction around. It is for this latter reason that this year we have chosen Parkgate Old Baths as our venue for the awareness raising protest. Till now we have largely preached to the converted, from here on we must ensure that non-birders know just what is going on in the name of ‘sport’.

How can you help? Spread the word, share it on social media ..tell everyone about the event that's taking place and try and persuade them to attend if at all possible. This is a numbers game!

We have some great speakers,