Secret filming uncovers illegal killings of rare birds in England

[@ChrisJB]

Pretty standard practise by the '(cough, splutter) custodians of the countryside' on the grouse moor killing fields of the Pennines (and elsewhere). Even with this, the toxic Moorland Association cannot bring themselves to condemn the criminal element within. Excellent work by the RSPB. Let's hope some meaningful change will come from this.

[@coolboy5428]

Ohhh, yes you mean THOSE ones, yes the ones that look white but are secretly noses

[@markhughes6692]

@@ChrisJB you don't see them do anything.

[@Twitcher999]

@@markhughes6692And so it begins, let’s claim this is staged and all made up……seriously!!! The complete denial by many within the shooting industry, is what will ultimately lead to their own demise! You’ve only got to look at the multiple rushed posts on social media by the Moorland Association, to see that they are in total panic over this!

[@chrisc2668]

There's more wildlife on moors managed for shooting than any moor managed by the RSPB or moors owned by companies who have stopped allowing shooting. As said in a previous comment we don't see them do anything illegal. They don't say they've killed anything either.

[@Fellmandave1]

Well said Chris.

[@bengreen171]

what? That Moorland Association bloke just about sums it up - "why are you complaining about all the birds we've shot rather than celebrating the fact we haven't shot every single bird".

[@Peacefulpreface6323]

Jeffrey Dahmer: "why are you complaining about all the people I ate instead of celebrating the fact I didn't eat everyone?"

[@bengreen171]

@@Peacefulpreface6323 yeah, spot on. 'Some of my victims escaped and I'm annoyed I don't get the credit for that'.

[@Peacefulpreface6323]

@@bengreen171 Gives a whole new meaning to "pity prize" doesn't it? Spoilt Etonian brats

[@jaywalker3087]

I'm a member of the RSPB and Devon Wildlife Trust.. I'm off for a few weeks to gather information around the isolated villages where I've seen disturbing activities. Being retired I have the time. I'm doing being proactive against the Elite morons...

[@aheadachewithpictures]

Hats off to you, admirable work!

[@paulreynolds9003]

Your the moron.

[@johnflanagan44]

I think rspb should name and shame them

[@DaveDunford]

@@johnflanagan44 They will, in court.

[@johnflanagan44]

@@DaveDunford Good

[@coppershark1973]

That lawyer is a disgrace. He fails ENTIRELY to address the illegality!

[@yetidodger6650]

he looks like a right nonce.

[@Nicho2020]

Despicable people working for a despicable business.

[@coppershark1973]

This country is disgusting. What the **** is wrong with people?

[@crisdeeming2758]

Least of englands worries.

[@TheVRSofa]

rich people will keep fox hunting and bird hunting and breaking the law because even this is a joke, they only get fined. and of the 400 convictions only 3 went to court. so the rspb cant even prosocute....ffs. i can only agree with ya

[@dougaltolan3017]

These people are not this country. Thier action is illegal.

[@emilydavison2053]

It's not specifically this country. Look at mass shooting of migrating birds in Mediterranean countries, glue trapping in France. Destruction of wildlife almost everywhere.

[@NeilMalthus]

@@crisdeeming2758 Strange you say that, because it's not, is it! They're all linked. The tory party, Royalty, phony religion, Class War right wing propaganda ... grouse shooting. It's capitalism 101 at the end of the day. *Ever wondered why there's an ecocide?*

[@ElgataaRay-xe9wo]

Evil Basterds

[@fisherman5517]

mindless idiots with zero brain cells.

[@Monkeymagic-y8k]

Game keepers shooting birds of prey at dovestones reservoir about this time last year when I was out walking, scumbags

[@cosmiconion87]

you should challenge them demand their gun licence number

[@outlawJosieFox]

Get them on film or report to RSPB

[@I-bench-more]

@@outlawJosieFox no, I see no problem

[@123Andersonev]

@@I-bench-more because you're dense.

[@sharongreen2908]

RSPB are well aware of what these scum do, they think they're above the Law.

[@jmomusicman]

One of the reasons I moved to Scotland. It does still happen up here, but considerably less the further north you go. Lived in North Derbyshire/South Yorkshire for 29 years, saw one Hen Harrier. Now I live in the highlands, see them semi-regularly, out on the Islands if you go looking it can be a daily occurrence. Watching a male sky dancing was a dream come true, truly spectacular creatures. This is just awful, but we all knew it all along. Absolute scum.

[@carolineroosyoga2017]

People are vile

[@tonysutton6559]

Well done CH4. Proper public service broadcasting.

[@davesheldon2874]

Something the BBC no longer is.... they'd never show this

[@tonysutton6559]

@davesheldon2874 The BBC bent over backwards on Midlands Today recently to give the Warwickshire Hunt a platform for their lies and excuses about illegal hunting, causing traffic chaos and intimidation of sabs & monitors.

[@jevanskickstandcrew8373]

This is outrageous

[@RachelFayLovelyDay]

Breaking news: wealthy landowners in England are able to ignore the law 🤬

[@fisherman5517]

i call them land thiefs.

[@0rchy]

They should be refused a licence for breeding game birds if they do not allow our wildlife to take a number of them.

[@dalebettison8053]

They can't be bred as they are wild and managed....

[@0rchy]

@@dalebettison8053Do your research because many are reared in large enclosures in remote wooded areas away from the public. The cages have significant water and feeding dispensers for the birds. They also have a running electric fence around the lower part to stop foxes and numerous entrances for the birds to come and go. The cage's feed, water, and security ensure the birds return at night.

[@DaveDunford]

@@0rchy No. You are confusing pheasants with grouse. It's **you** that needs to "do your research".

[@0rchy]

​@@DaveDunfordI'm surprised you can even name birds. I know British birds and am referring to a place near Madley village in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, North Staffordshire, England. I have witnessed them. So please don't insult me because you are stupid.

[@TheMymovie]

Good video. Thanks for highlighting this.

[@kevinparker461]

Highlighting what?

[@philipashley1517]

This has been goin on for years, before anyone says Gamekeepers don't shoot raptors, they also poison them and trap them, absolutely disgusting

[@fisherman5517]

the poison does not just kill raptors it also kills many other wildlife that feed on the poisoned carcas., but idiots do not care .

[@jenniferharrison4319]

The Hen Harrier is the mascot of the Forest of Bowland but they keep disappearing 🤬

[@Akeeperslife]

That's because there's nothing to eat !!!!

[@ChrisJB]

@jenniferharrison4319 There's a long history of raptor persecution in Bowland too.

[@kevinparker461]

There is also a few European Eagle Owls up there. They will kill anything, they are even on record killing young Peregrine falcons & Merlins. Facts are facts but of course the RSPB can't get more donations for that, they blame keepers!! with zero proof. If all this audio can be proved, take them to court & name them!!. But its probably a set up, wake up!!

[@Firkinnel]

Would a criminal offence automatically revoke their shotgun /firearms licences ?

[@mickg7299]

It’s proving it that is the problem. A Hen Harrier was shot on the Sandringham Estate some years back and Prince Harry was interviewed under caution but never charged.

[@JamieCurranthemagnificent-z7h]

​@@mickg7299 typical money talks!😂

[@adamhousden6349]

@@mickg7299 what do you expect, the royals are above it all, look at the non sweaty visitor of epstein land for example

[@1gerard47]

​@@mickg7299that pratt.

[@yokomotooto1255]

The majority of upland keepers kill birds of prey.

[@XtraOrdinar-y]

That’s not true

[@kevinparker461]

@@XtraOrdinar-y Correct, they just keep telling lies!. People need to research where the most Harriers bred in 2024, on keepered estates!!!

[@BadgerBoy59]

Such a shameful irony that they'll shoot these birds to protect their business of breeding birds just to shoot those ones.

[@chrisc2668]

They don't bread grouse!

[@BadgerBoy59]

@@chrisc2668 I'll rephrase, they want to protect their business of allowing these birds to breed of their own accord just so they can go shoot them anyway. Is that better? Also, bread grouse? 😆

[@chrisc2668]

@@BadgerBoy59 oops 😬. Yes breed!! Although I suppose you could make grouse out of bread 🍞

[@ChrisMurray-iw9ij]

The RSPB won my charity this christmas with this level of legendary 💓

[@shlamimk4664]

These guys can't get through their heads that we share this world with other creatures. Making a living off of the land is one thing. Making a killing is another thing entirely.

[@guff9567]

The only thing you share the world with is you grubby council bedsit

[@robinette4363]

They are building council houses there, that's killing, channel 4 doesn't care

[@guff9567]

@@robinette4363 people can easily live with the birds in their nests

[@irw8367]

@@robinette4363council housing right on the top of an upland moor… yeah sure. Even if that was true, it wouldn’t make a difference to birds of prey like hen harriers. Huge areas of upland estates are owned by land owners and people who love to kill (grouse moors). As you see in this video these barbaric people have no issue in shooting a harrier (which is a species that has no threat to livestock or the grouse) and only determine not shoot if it doesn’t have a tracker. These people are the sole ones that responsible for harming birds of prey populations. Don’t try and shift the blame

[@fisherman5517]

they are just morons .

[@robertnitrile519]

The lawyer...quotes 0.01% is only the size of the loss of Hen Harriers ,,as if it is OK !! The man is a joke..a bad one at that!!

[@graemekeable8461]

That's 0.104 birds 😂 the blokes maths are slightly out

[@jwillow2642]

it's their own play ground, still they get caught and still they deny it 😡 why are their face blocked

[@antonharefield8341]

Andrew Gilruth would have happily worked for the tobacco industry claiming there was no evidence to link smoking to lung cancer. He knows what he is.

[@gerrimilner9448]

it is barely a century, since these people stopped nailing these and other predator corpses on the gateposts to warn other predators away, they dont seem to have got much brighter

[@SH66667]

They nailed vermin to fences to show bosses they were doing thier job, maggots also fell out of the decaying vermin for birds to eat. Your post sums up the fact that the majority do not understand the countryside. Birds of prey have been controlled for years and they still survive , they have no natural predator. Do gooders are ruining the uk with pansy nonsense.

[@yetidodger6650]

game keepers poisoned a white tailed eagle in Arundel a few years ago, the trouble is theres a strong connection between these bastards and the judiciary.

[@juliemaddern]

All birds are important

[@caravanstuff2827]

Way more important than humans..we destroy and can't live in harmony with our environment.. birds are invaluable as spreaders of seeds and controller's of insects..the planet could survive without humans , but not birds!!!.❤️🌍

[@juliemaddern]

@@caravanstuff2827 Hear Hear X

[@user-us7el6ss2l]

@@caravanstuff2827 Pollinators, Food chains... all sorts. China declared war on sparrows; Result was that people starved after locusts destroyed crops!

[@juliemaddern]

@@user-us7el6ss2l Taught them a lesson, such beautiful birds x

[@struancochrane753]

Not grouse, they are wild and an indigenous species in upland Britain.

[@adrianfielding4678]

4% of UK land is annually torched and species cleansed, basically farming grouse for shooting. That is a lot of land badly managed - for perspective, not much more land, 5% of UK, is under housing.

[@mattias5551]

The land is not species cleansed nor torched, song birds are more numerous on managed shooting ground because of the amount of feeding and how things are set up. Controlled burning is an effective way to stop wildfires which are far more damaging. However I fully agree that killing hen harriers and other birds of prey is heinous mismanagement! If you cannot run your shoot alongside rare species then you shouldn't be in the job. Not only does it threaten a rare species but it also (as clearly seen here) brings a very poor spotlight on to an industry that oftentimes does a lot of undocumented good for the countryside which is easily 'brushed under the carpet' when cretins like this are given the job of keeping/ managing their ground

[@bernardedwards8461]

We need to build lots of houses for the hundreds of thousands of immigrants who enter the country every year. Would you have them live in tents?

[@adrianfielding4678]

Having written my comment I realised I may have generalised a bit. That said, some grouse moor landowners are clearly more ruthless and singularly focused than others. You are clearly interested in the subject of rural land use and management, may I recommend Benedict Macdonald's excellent book which is the best book on re-wilding, it is positive and plausible. Macdonald sets out well researched economic reasoning and a sensible inspiring plan for rewilding and farming to cohabit this island.

[@DaveDunford]

@@mattias5551 "song birds are more numerous on managed shooting ground" You can't even get your own propaganda right. The (industry-funded) Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust study that you are misquoting wasn't about songbirds, it was about a handful of wader species (Curlew, Lapwing and Golden Plover IIRC) on moorlands. That's wading birds, not songbirds.

[@adrianfielding4678]

@@DaveDunford Yes, and there is little doubt that we had more Curlew, Lapwing etc long before grouse shooting became a thing. There may be more life on a grouse moor than an airport runway but that wouldn't be a useful argument.

[@corvus1238]

Time to ban all blood sports.

[@Neilhuny]

How about someone in a highland area, short of money, that bags "one for the pot"? Not sport, just adding to the larder to feed his/her family, would you add that? Assume one or two animals a month. (grouse, pheasant, rabbits, hare, salmon, trout and many others) Personally, i would turn a blind eye to that - a waste of court time and a millennia old practice. The criminality comes in where the quarry is either protected or sold commercially, rather than being put in the freezer for your own use. But many people would see catching a few rabbits as a blood sport; what is a blood sport?

[@LucaJH]

​@Neilhuny surely killing to eat isn't sport. Paying to go on a Shoot where you can kill loads but only keep 2 is sport.

[@Anarchy4Angels]

@@Neilhuny someone taking one or two for the pot would be prosecuted for poaching on behalf of the very same people killing the raptors. They don't like poor folk taking "their birds" they just want them for their rich mates so they can have a grand day out.

[@PeppermintPatties]

💯

[@mickg7299]

@@Neilhuny People living in the highlands aren’t short of money, only sassenachs are likely to need “one for the pot.”

[@SevenStanesMBT]

No surprises there. These people will do whatever it takes to protect their interests. Most of our countryside is desert thanks to these goons.

[@Indomitablespirit108]

Stop shooting wildlife, enjoy the beauty and respect they're in relationships too! Wake up

[@theenglishtrucker1849]

Lets ban game bird hunting. Its not needed, plenty of food in the supermarkets. Why we allow shooting of animals for "fun" is fucking disgusting!

[@fisherman5517]

Is this the reason why the public are denied access to roam , in case we witness this evil act .

[@thewhitbyphotographer]

Roam anyway. It's not illegal to film on Private land if you are filming for crime prevention.

[@JamieCurranthemagnificent-z7h]

Good point!🤔👍

[@DaveDunford]

@@thewhitbyphotographer Unfortunately, the resulting footage is often declared inadmissible in court. The loopholes protecting the shooting industry are incredible.

[@kevinparker461]

@@DaveDunford No loopholes!!, if its against the law that is enough, stop telling lies!!!

[@DaveDunford]

@@kevinparker461 Read my post again. I'm not defending the shooting industry, but I'm pointing out that footage obtained without permission is often declared inadmissible in court. Weirdly, landowners can argue that covert footage was only obtained by trespass or that permission was not given. It sucks. I'm on your side.

[@louiseodonnell5518]

The ownership of estates who criminally kill raptors should be changed. The owners are not protecting or enhancing biodiversity for the nation and have shown themselves unworthy of landowning privilege.

[@phubblewubbphubblewubb]

Breeding birds for the guns should not be happening, it's disgusting.

[@ThePhonzman]

You can’t breed grouse. They’re wild.

[@dcurleyifa]

Only when the landowners get prosecuted will their staff the gamekeepers will stop shooting Harriers and other raptors

[@nathanrichards9202]

Blood boiling, It needs to be licenced like in Scotland!

[@Mercury88-b7k]

This is an absolute disgrace. What the fk are you doing? You will be identified and prosecuted.

[@KeithRingo]

Yeah very very serious suspended sentence

[@aye3678]

Why on earth did they censor their faces??? Who are they protecting?

[@aye3678]

For anyone caught doing this, they need to face prison time. This is appalling on so many levels.

[@bernardedwards8461]

Grouse and hen harriers have lived side by side for thousands of years, and both species have flourished. It cant be denied that hen harriers occasionally take young grouse, but they also take many other things and dont prey exclusively on grouse. In my view it makes a day's shoot more interesting if you see the occasional raptor, particularly a rare one like the hen harrier. Licencing is a bureaucratic job creation scheme, and apart from easing the unemployment problem does nothing to help raptors.There are better ways of finding work for unemp;loyed youngsters. Some birds are protected which shouldn't be, and are a danger to much rarer birds. I'm thinking in particular of herring gulls and lesser black backs, which are a menace, and there are others.

[@mebob]

This is for the rich people nothing will happen to them they should be arrested 1 rule for them 1 rule for us absolute disgrace this country is fucked

[@juneduffy4502]

They don’t sound very elite - they sound uneducated and stupid

[@fisherman5517]

IT has been for a number of years now , sinse the idiots were voted into power.

[@sarahbenn1792]

Great work RSPB. Shame on those who kill wild birds and raise and kill 'game' birds for money/fun

[@VanderWolls]

This should be reported as birds being killed in Britain, not England.

[@malcolmlane-ley2044]

Did you not hear? the evidence is being forwarded to the police?

[@DaveDunford]

@@malcolmlane-ley2044 I think the OP's (rather weird) point was about geography rather than whether or not this incident will be reported (which, as stated in the video, has already been passed to the police).

[@sonnydugganphotography]

Absolutely Disgusting

[@willhall4936]

4:33 best wash your palms of all that grease, Andrew Gilruth. a traitor to lands you’re supposed to protect.

[@simonpedley9729]

the royal family estates are the worst for this

[@satnav1980]

They should reveal who it is? Some people may wish to pay them a visit really late at night.

[@meapantz1983]

Thank you c4

[@alexking1348]

The sheer irony of playing a Curlews call at 4:55 - the very bird grouse moors are saving from extinction! There shouldn’t be blanket bans on what can/can’t be persecuted - buzzards and kites should be being controlled at the moment, but I agree, in most parts of the country, hen harriers should not. An American style of wildlife management would be a more scientific and less political middle ground.

[@DaveDunford]

"the very bird grouse moors are saving from extinction!" Subjective, hyperbolic rubbish. Curlews are declining in the UK, but they are not threatened with extinction. They would rather nest in wet meadows than on moorland, but they have been forced onto suboptimal habitat by farmland. Why should buzzards and kites be "controlled" (you mean "shot dead", of course, but "controlled" sounds nicer) just so you can get your creepy kicks from shooting dumb animals? Prey numbers control prey, not the other way round.

[@Ptarmi]

Nonsense! ... Can you imagine how many female Hen Harriers would be shot & if caught in the act, they'd simply claim that they thought it was a Buzzard. Far simpler to protect all raptors. Buzzards & Kites were already persecuted to near extinction in the UK, so they most certainly deserve to be left alone now. The fact is that Buzzards & Kites cause no, very, very few problems, so why should anyone wish to control them. I know there are still a few dumb farmers around who still think they kill Lambs or are afraid they'll fly off with one of their bullocks ... or tractors! More education needed in Agri. college.

[@stevemorris6855]

RSPB should be given more powers.

[@richiedd4119]

no they would buy more land and sell it off to build houses,

[@specdel]

Very strange, if this is widespread, that there are more hen harriers on moors managed for grouse shooting than anywhere else - including RSPB reserves. There are more hen harriers in England now than for the last 200 years. Interesting that the statistics quoted are for the last 15 years no mention of the trajectory over the most recent 3 or 4 years? If you want to support Ornithology join the British Trust for Ornithology, far more balanced and not political.

[@nightwolf1592]

But their concerns and statistics are the same.

[@Morganovicz]

Of course there are more hen harriers on moors, that's their only breeding habitat. Even if they were shot until there was only one pair left, it would still be on moorland as that's where they live. That does not remotely mean that grouse shoots benefit them, it just means that they have bought up all the available habitat. There are more now than for 200 years because they now have legal protection, which prevents some of the killing, it clearly doesn't prevent it all. What's your argument here? Regardless of how well or badly hen harriers are doing nationally, this is a video of a crime being committed, and because the RSPB has recorded the evidence, it's political and not worthy of support?

[@specdel]

There are more hen harriers on moors managed for grouse shooting than ‘other moors’ because the gamekeepers so regularly castigated, provide the conditions in which ground nesting birds can thrive. Read Ian Coghill’s excellent book on the subject - ‘Moorland Matters’. I agree that illegal killing of raptors is abhorrent and needs to be stamped out but the RSPB are giving the impression that this is happening on all Grouse moors all the time, when in fact it is very rare and becoming rarer.

[@nightwolf1592]

@@specdel It is not a rare occurrence. And this affects many birds of prey. A local farmer here in Cumbria reported game keepers for shooting a short eared owl on moorland next to his land. A different gamekeeper on a neighbouring estate was filmed shooting short eared owls and was arrested. Two more estates are having investigations after a number of tagged hen harriers disappeared including one nest stamped on and utterly destroyed.

[@Ptarmi]

The fact that 130 Hen Harriers have gone missing around Grouse Moors since 2018 tells you that something stinks on Driven Grouse moors & changes are essential. The fact is that law-abiding Keepers & estates have absolutely nothing to fear from the New License System which is necessary now for England & Wales.

[@mattrishton]

Absolute disgrace...

[@scottrichards4532]

Find something useful to do,These birds are hunting to live not for cash and sheer greed.

[@voiceinthenoise3357]

Heather habitat is a valid part of the uplands, and even lowland heaths. But monoculture moorland maintained by burning wastes vast areas of land; land privately owned purely because their rich ancestors stole it by the sword centuries ago. Any species that benefits from heather monoculture (such as red grouse, and curlew, apparently) is far outweighed by all the other species lost to gamekeeping, or pushed out from the environment because it is so ecologically barren. The issue isn't that heather moorland is bad; it's that there's way too much of it in a severely nature depleted country that needs to rewild as much land as possible, that isn't used on other necessary things. Grouse moors aren't necessary; they should be transformed into a blended, biodiverse patchwork of woodland, scrubland and heath/moor. Just look at Arne nature reserve - I don't think they burn the heather to keep it open, but even if they do I'm sure it would be done minimally to ensure that trees didn't take over completely. And the animals that move in should be left alone, even if they do eat the poshies precious grouse dinner.

[@annakulkarni8435]

They must be punished.

[@WhiskeyGulf71]

"people" are such arseholes ! Pond with some ducks or swans, some gimp is chucking rocks at them, rare wild birds, some turd is shooting them ! FFS 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@shaynebrewer6306]

For those who are questioning the cameras being there,it’s because it’s a well known harrier roost in swaledale,and that’s why the keepers are there ambushing them coming back,bastards

[@Ryansghost]

The owners will just blame 'rogue' gamekeepers. Get it licensed.

[@patrickstuart8211]

How did they know where to place the camera and how was the radio conversation captured/recorded??

[@alishademmery3581]

Stop the slaughter

[@jimwalker760]

But what happens when the gamekeepers do get to court? A few weeks in prison suspended for a year or so and a fine that’ll be covered by landowner. There is no deterrent. Policing this is going to be extremely difficult as 98% of the land in England is private with very little public access outside of national parks. The rich, as ever, remain unaccountable.

[@artgreen6915]

04:35 there's a boom in hen harriers? I've got my own opinion on the main source of obfuscation around this issue. It differs from his.

[@davidsmith1066]

It’s all about greed money the ring behind this should be jailed disgusting behaviour they should be ashamed of themselves

[@davidbarnes241]

Sad little men in sad little jobs, working for sad little men, who like shooting ‘game’ birds. Sad really ☹️

[@coolboy5428]

Most of them re lovely nice jewish men who do that.

[@BearWolfMountain]

Well done channel 4

[@farmstyle92macd55]

I’m a stockman and I hate keepers

[@alf2892]

what don't you like about them?

[@theshadow2576]

Humans are soooo warped. Shoot a beautiful bird to protect the birds that are to be shot!!!!!! WTF is wrong with humanity????

[@ateleskier7066]

I'm sorry to say, but this is routine in the countryside, which I grew up and have lived almost all my life in. I got rid of all my guns a couple of decades ago but still know local gamekeepers who tell me things, even though I have made it plain I'm an RSPB member and firmly against raptor persecution. Basically, gamekeepers will complain bitterly that _"there are too many raptors"_ and that _"they are decimating songbirds"_ and other boilerplate statements as apparent justification for illegal killing. If I challenge this narrative they start trotting out memorised arguments given to them by the various shooting lobbies, including the oft-touted claim that this is all fake news designed to augment RSPB donations. I've had run-ins with estate staff in Scotland for decades including, in the 1990's, having someone firing fullbore rounds over my head when I was out hillwalking. Before the Land Reform Act was passed it was like the wild west up here, especially in the Highlands. Even now, certain estates in major shooting counties like Perthshire are known to be killboxes for raptors. The new licensing legislation may have a positive effect but it's too soon to tell. I can guarantee you though that the gamekeeper fraternity up here haven't changed their views one tiny bit: Raptors should be killed.

[@tobywhitehead7488]

Jail. That's all.

[@aye3678]

They're posh and rich so they'll get away with a slap on the wrist. Story as old as time.

[@Dhuxul9]

ban the sport

[@XtraOrdinar-y]

No.

[@stuartblackwell7345]

not much wind noise on the camera but lots of rustling on the blokes clothing. was he wearing a microphone?

[@temparalflux914]

The irony that they are shooting these birds to stop them killing the grouse...that they will also be killing.

[@enbonj5842]

Hunting for sport is cruel. Birdwatching and photography is a lot more rewarding. Guns dont add beauty to the world.

[@fisherman5517]

do the idiots that are breaking the law wear tags , if not why not.

[@bendenisereedy7865]

Lancashire accents. Probably Bowland Fells. Two eagle owls disappeared from near Slaidburn a few years ago.

[@DJWESG1]

so are they worried about the predator birds? the predator men? or the predator land owners? im confused.

[@borisfargo1290]

Set up I’d say. How do you get a video in the right place ?

[@petereyres1050]

Great work by the RSPB investigation teams over several months tracking the movements of these despicable men. If I had to pick a side I'm gonna go with the people paid peanuts to work for charities for a cause they care about, not handsomely paid gamekeepers employed by some of the richest people in the world to prop up a multi billion pound industry. A ploy for fundraising, what, for some renovated toilets at a nature reserve? - ooook

[@DaveDunford]

Hen Harrier habitually roost in the same places, and the location of roosts will be known to the RSPB (and of course to the gamekeepers). Hidden cameras can be placed accordingly. No conspiracy required.

[@alf2892]

@@DaveDunford He's talking about the poachers. Of all spots they got a perfect shot of him in frame, when there could of been hundreds of spots for them to shoot from and if they had any sense it wouldn't of been a known shooting location. More likely an undercover setup.

[@daverudland3488]

Suspect they know exactly who it is shooting. Unlikely they knew they were being filmed, but you're right, they might try to claim they were in on it, in some kind of elaborate hoax 🤫

[@Morganovicz]

Shooters shoot from fixed positions where they have good views over the land and can shelter behind walls they've built. Go to any grouse moor and you'll see them all over the place, simply point the camera at one near a hen harriers roost (at least one HH that they spotted was tagged, so the roost location will be known). Also, that would serve no purpose, this video was recorded to collect evidence of a crime, which is being investigated by the police and prosecute the individuals involved. That would hardly work if they were using actors...

[@jamesgardner8048]

Have you walked in the countryside lately I would say you can't do anything without someone watching you in one way or another.

[@Maxwell-mv9rx]

Hunters in UK keep out dignity is showing dark side of the society . Wild and coward their are above the law.

[@Firkinnel]

Do they still use lead in bird shot these days ? I always wondered if the pellets contaminated the land.

[@georgedart1]

Nature Scot builds shooting tower 200 yards away from a well known Osprey nesting site where WTE are as well in Sutherland.

[@philipashley1517]

Check out the Pennines over woodhead and snake pass,us birdspotters call it (Bandit Country), Merlin hen harrier buzzard short eared owl, 😢😢

[@sofyaharrison7725]

It's mad that people even want to do this. It annoys me that the keepers will take the fall here and the landowners who should also be punished just do what they want with impunity.

[@KevinField-w6p]

this happens in lincs all the time

[@salzakm5553]

What awful people unfortunately live amongst us. I definitely find animals preferable.

[@PeppermintPatties]

Well done Wild Justice. 👏 Thank you for your invaluable work. EDIT: F* landlordism.

[@aq9714]

These people are disgusting. How archaic is this? What people will do for money. They need to be heavily fined, a lot of money to be put into restoration, the gig is up boys.

[@jamesrickerby2756]

The boom in population has nowt to do with shooters. Trouble is you can not place cameras without trespassing!

[@SavvyCynophile]

Introduce the same laws as now in Scotland.

[@adilysreyes2904]

Let’s protect the innocents from the beasts

[@gordonemery6805]

i dont agree with shooting birds of prey, but i remember a couple of cases where the RSPB broke into a falconers aviary and planted a unringed sparrow hawk and tried to have him arrested.And another case where a golden eagle was given to a falconer because it had injured its self and once it was healed would be released back to the wild but the RSPB heard about it and took the bird off him and it was looked after by someone who was not capable of looking after birds of prey and unfortunately the eagle died because of incompetence ,they had been feeding it dog food ,so they are not as squeaky clean as they make out !!

[@double531]

Difficult to enforce. Doubtful the police have or will have the resources to confront and convict these people.

[@Bluediamond200]

How many birds and including birds of prey are killed by the wind farms ?

[@MrDblStop]

Really? That level of 'whataboutism' is very, very twisted. It's an ugly way to conduct a conversation.

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

What has that got to do with this story? Get a grip.

[@DaveDunford]

Some, but not as many as are killed (per GWh) by fossil fuels. Does it make the illegal killing of birds of prey by gamekeepers OK?

[@grahamshepherd4847]

I dont think gamekeepers would carry guns in that manner, i.e. horizontal, as it is unsafe. Im suspicious this is staged. the chance of putting a camera and a mic in the right spot on a moor is very unlikely. The voices could even be dubbed. If there are police and convictions, then thats fine, but this could just be propaganda . Ive no axe to grind on grouse shooting , but just a bit suspicious

[@django3422]

Chap, I've had guns pointed AT me by gamekeepers, because they're human and some of them are reckless idiots.

[@A_Year_In_The_Woods]

I was a little surprised that the audio from the "keeper" captures clothing touching a microphone. If keepers are still breaking the law then they have to be prosecuted but having set several trail cameras over many years, finding such a precise location and recording such audible sounds at that range make me deeply suspicious about this film.

[@DaveDunford]

@@A_Year_In_The_Woods I imagine it's a hidden camera at a known Hen Harrier roost, and previous surveillance may have identified the keepers' habitual hiding places and informed the placing of the camera. No conspiracy required, but it's revealing that so many people with shooting connections - several people here including you, plus Andrew Gilruth in the clip - are trying to discredit this clear evidence of criminalty by people in your industry. You're supposed to be opposed to criminality by the "handful of bad apples" in your industry - this response doesn't look like that.

[@daverudland3488]

Sounds like these people have been identified, and what they do. At that point the conspiracy theories ring pretty hollow.

[@grahamshepherd4847]

@@daverudland3488 Please keep me posted on this , genuine or otherwise.

[@gimlet61cotswoldlad38]

What this allegedly shows are bad apples, within what is a lifestyle that protects and preserves. What it doesn't show is that RSPB land, bird numbers have reduced drastically but where managed private and public licensed areas have had many successes in breeding programs. Another piece of fund raising propaganda that does not provide the full story.

[@susanb.1113]

It is fact, not alleged.

[@gimlet61cotswoldlad38]

@@susanb.1113 Camera placed on vast area of moorland, not only in exactly the required spot but picking up without any wind noise, radio chatter. You hear a gun shot, you do not see the shooter or what was shot if anything. Facts need actual evidence, this is propaganda and does not provide that which you allege. Reminds me of the video that was put out, alleged months apart but the celebrity wore the same clothes, the foliage had not changed over the weeks between and no proof was ever put forward on its location or the alleged parties involved!

[@jaywalker3087]

​@@gimlet61cotswoldlad38you are very wrong. I travel around the South West, anonymously gathering evidence. I've seen many disturbing things that prove you are a part of the problems...

[@EvenBigger-Brother]

@@gimlet61cotswoldlad38 the killers probably return to the same advantage points to hunt . so a camera and mic could be easily positioned to surveil them .

[@DaveDunford]

@@gimlet61cotswoldlad38 Why are you defending obvious criminality?

[@caravanstuff2827]

Jesus what's going on in the UK.. it's becoming like some wild west frontier.. every time there's a post about England it's about some kind of law and order issue... their starting to descend into a second world country!!.❤️🙏🇲🇫🇺🇦

[@jaywalker3087]

Third World, where the rich get richer, the poor get poorer and Law's are made to Oppress anyone trying to change the system.... It's like the Middle Ages all over again.

[@GregorSamsa000]

I bet these people would vote for trump 😂

[@keeksputels1851]

Worst they'll get is 6 months. Makes my blood boil how light the sentances are

[@0rchy]

I'm surprised that Dave-Dunford can even name birds. I was referring to a small parish in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, North Staffordshire, England, where I saw the pheasants in a protected enclosure with at least four entrances to roam freely and return at night. Because of these enclosures, the number of wild pheasants in and around Staffordshire has spread far and wide. So, I would ask kindly if Dave Dunford didn't compare my intelligence to his.