The Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, led by Tim Birch, have been constant in their public criticism of moorland management. Any opportunity to slander the gamekeepers of the Peak District as raptor persecutors has been taken.
This was most evident during the summer arrival of the rare Lammergeier, when Birch went on radio to claim it “couldn’t have come to a worse spot in terms of bird of prey persecution.”
Yet the thing is, despite their public claims that the Peak District is no place for raptors their private views are rather different.
In a private Zoom call ahead of the start of this year's grouse shooting season members of the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust carried out a short poll of its members attending. The question was: 'Have you seen more or fewer birds of prey recently?'
A staggering 86% of its members involved said more, confirming what all those working in Peak District moorland management already knew.
Indeed, the recent BTO bird survey in the Peak District confirmed there had been a 1,200% increase in some raptors in the Peak District.
So the question is then why are the members of the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust publicly so critical of birds of prey numbers in the Peak District and yet, at the same time, 86% of them know that rather than being 'persecuted' birds of prey are thriving in the Peak District?
Mind you, when you see the lies that people like the Peak District based activist George Taylor go around saying publicly, such as 'there are only 3 pairs of Hen Harriers in the UK', you understand how many activists will say anything to push their anti-grouse shooting agenda, no matter how far-fetched or what they say in private.