From silhouetted soaring buzzards to the powerful elegance of an osprey snatching a fish from a lake, birds of prey are incredible animals that have entranced us for centuries. Unfortunately, however, this has not prevented them from being persecuted.
This episode we are tackling a slightly more serious and somber topic but one that we believe definitely needs talking about and is certainly close to our hearts. So, grab a coffee and join us as we look at how our magnificent birds of prey have been persecuted, both throughout history and its continued prevalence today.
But it's not all doom and gloom, we also delve into the tricky world of defining exactly what a 'bird of prey' really is, our historical relationship with these birds, and we of course, highlight the fantastic organisations working tirelessly to protect and restore our bird of prey populations. Steve even throws a surprise quiz in there to test Matthew's knowledge of our UK species.
This is a topic that we are both passionate about and despite the heavier nature of the research, we really enjoyed recording this episode. We hope you enjoy listening.
Get in touch:
As always, please do contact us with any questions, feedback, comments, or just to say hi! You can find us both on Instagram:
Timestamps
00:00:00 Catch up
00:0153 Introducing Birds of Prey
00:20:27 A history of persecution
00:24:06 How they are persecuted today
00:40:19 The positives: changing perceptions and brilliant organisations
Links
https://protectthewild.org.uk/our-campaigns/end-shooting/bird-shooting-faqs/what-raptor-persecution/
Why the illegal killings of birds of prey is surging in the UK | The Independent
Birds of prey and the Law - Protect the Wild
Goshawks back from the brink in southern England | Forestry England
RSPB Hen Harrier LIFE Report - Skydancer - the UK's hen harriers - Skydancer - The RSPB Community
