BIRD OF PREY MOVE

The RSPB has ended its involvement with the Peak District Bird of Prey Initiative, following the partnership project’s continued failure to improve the fortunes of raptors in the Dark Peak, the northern part of the Peak District. The initiative set five-year targets for sustainable breeding populations of three species: Merlin, Peregrine and Short-eared Owl, and from 2016 expanded to include Hen Harrier and Goshawk. But it failed to meet any of these targets and for some species the situation has continued to worsen, with the RSPB blaming illegal persecution, and saying that some members of the initiative’s failure to admit the scale of the problem, and its clear link with driven grouse shooting, have frustrated any hope of progress. The RSPB is supporting Ed Hutchings’ Government petition to license driven grouse shooting https://petition.parliament. uk/petitions/207482