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:

Steve - @a.bird.in.the.lens

Matthew - @a.bug.in.the.lens

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

Game Bird Shooting | The League

About Wild Justice - Wild Justice