Somewhere bleak and unforgiving in Scotland, a golden eagle is suffering an agonising death. The young bird of prey was photographed last week with a metal trap clamped around its leg in the Crathie area of Deeside in Aberdeenshire. The tourist who took this distressing image sent it to the police who expressed serious concerns […]
With all the disturbing stories in the news about extreme weather events, global politics and human rights abuses, it’s easy to overlook that there is also a lot of good happening in the world. One such area is in conservation, where we are seeing a number of great success stories. Here are just four cases […]
Aigle botté – Aguila calzada, Hieraaetus pennatus, Spain, 2017/08/24, Nikon: D500 + 800 mm f5/6E, This migratory eagle nests in southern Europe and winters in Africa and Asia. With a friend we arrived at the spot very early and he had assured me that the weather report said bright and sunny after a small […]
Accipitriformes – Accipitridae With the Nikon 500 mm at arms length from the car. On the first pictures, the bird is hunting. Most of the time it positions itself back to the sun to see its prey better. At the same time, it surveys its territory for intruders such as other birds of prey and […]
Highland estates could be forced to apply for licences to shoot grouse in a further crackdown by Scottish ministers on the illegal persecution of birds of prey. Aileen McLeod, the Scottish environment minister, said she had ordered a review into the stricter legal controls imposed on game estates in Europe as conservationists disclosed that at […]
The Booted Eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus, also classified as Aquila pennata) is a medium-sized bird of prey. It breeds in southern Europe, North Africa and across Asia. It is migratory, wintering in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Factsheet: Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus
It is the largest of the Accipiter genus; it possesses short and wide wings and a long tail well adapted to flight in the woods. The female is larger measuring between 58 and 64 cms with a wingspan of 108 to 127 cms; She is slaty-blue on the back with greyish underparts and can weigh […]
A gamekeeper who trapped and killed birds of prey has been jailed for four months. George Mutch, 48, was sentenced at Aberdeen Sheriff Court after being convicted of laying illegal traps and killing a goshawk by hitting it with a stick. It is the first custodial sentence for the crime of persecuting raptors, or birds […]