The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

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Birds of prey: On a wing and a prayer

Birds of prey provoke a passionate response. Powerful, ferocious, yet fragile. Loved by birdwatchers; illegally killed by a persistent few.

At Lincoln Cathedral, 4,000 people have enjoyed close–up views of peregrine chicks. Urban nest sites and high–powered telescopes at dedicated watchpoints mean birds of prey are appreciated by hundreds of thousands each year.

Marsh harriers are popular with residents and visitors in East Anglia, yet there was just one pair, at Minsmere in Suffolk, as recently as 1971. Happily, a national survey in 2005 found around 400 nests, mostly in East Anglia.

Birds of prey bring economic benefits through tourism, creating jobs in accommodation, catering, retail and other trades. For example, each year:

• on the Isle of Mull, white–tailed eagles – reintroduced to Scotland following their extinction from the UK – attract between £1.4 and £1.6 million,

• some 290,000 people visit osprey–watching sites bringing spending of £3.5 million,

• in Gateshead’s Derwent Valley, a new release area for red kites, kites are seen on beer bottles, buses and school badges, as well as in the air.

Despite the good news, illegal activity remains a very real threat in parts of the country with a minority of people still prepared to shoot, trap and poison birds, including golden eagle, hen harrier, goshawk, red kite and peregrine.

It’s illegal, immoral – and bad for business.

• Peregrine illustration by Mike Langman RSPB.

Infolink: RSPB Eastern England Office, Stalham House, 65 Thorpe Road, Norwich NR1 1UD. Telephone: 01603 660066. Website: www.rspb.org.uk.

The RSPB is a national conservation charity with more than a million members. It has its headquarters in Bedfordshire, plus a network of offices, 150 nature reserves and around 350 adult and junior local groups throughout the UK. Membership of the RSPB helps to protect birds, wildlife and habitats.

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