Hen harrier campaign group lose 75% of their latest tagged birds to natural causes.

Campaign group Hen Harrier Action today announced that 75% of the hen harriers they tagged this summer with the RSPB have died.

Despite the groups’ best efforts to incite hostility against gamekeepers as usual, even the RSPB confirmed there is ‘no reason to believe their deaths were suspicious’.

The comment is not surprising given one of the birds, Henrietta, showed it had died far out to sea, seemingly on its way to Greenland.

Whilst the death of any hen harrier is unfortunate, this latest data once again shows how many of birds die nowhere near grouse moors, yet that doesn’t stop the charity attempting to once again make this about grouse shooting.

The group admits itself that ‘nothing illustrates more clearly the precarious nature of the first few months of life for our young Hen Harriers than this devastating loss’.

Yet we know full well that had the bird died near an area of moorland used for grouse shooting, they would once again be up in arms accusing uplands estates of being responsible. When these birds have gone missing near to grouse moors they fail to mention that it is not surprising given how much of the north of England and Scotland is covered by moorland and these places offer the best habitat for them.

Over the years there have been cases of hen harriers dying of natural causes, being fatally attacked by other birds of prey or indeed just having faulty tags which the RSPB and hen harrier groups seem conveniently to forget.

It is no surprise at all that the charity once again finish their news off by launching a fresh fundraising appeal to protect more birds. It is just another cynical ploy to attempt to raise funds from an unsuspecting public.