Letters to the editor

History of mistrust over protection of birds

Sir, - In reply to Jim Crumley’s column, The Glorious Twelfth, Mr Tim Baynes of the Scottish Moorland Group, took great pains to lay most of the blame for the lack of progress in ending the persecution of raptors on grouse moors on the RSPB.

He urged the RSPB to share information with PAWS, The Partnership Against Wildlife Crime Scotland, whose members include land managers.

Part of its duties includes the supervision of gamekeepers.

What he failed to mention, however, is the history that exists between RSPB workers and land managers/gamekeepers where this strategy has been tried and failed.

In 1998, RSPB fieldworkers in the north-east who were engaged in the National Hen Harrier Survey were obliged to inform estates about their visits and any subsequent survey results pertaining to their land.

In some cases, they were accompanied to hen harrier nesting sites by the estates’ gamekeepers.

Many of the hen harrier sites that were recorded during that survey year mysteriously failed and the number of sites found the following year dropped significantly from previous years.

As a result, strong suspicions linger and, given that between 1994 and 2014, 86% of those convicted of offences against birds of prey were gamekeepers, I can hardly express surprise at RSPB’s current position.

Possibly this explains why the RSPB is not too keen to cooperate with and supply information. George Murdo. 4 Auchcairnie Cottages, Laurencekirk.