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period of years, the number of raptors illegally killed on just one estate far
exceeded the number of ‘official’ incidents recorded across the whole of
Scotland’ (McMillan 2011).
Whole areas of suitable habitat are thought to be devoid of breeding birds
of prey, either directly exterminated or driven out by illegal activities. In 2009,
the number of confirmed illegal raptor poisonings hit a 20-year high, with 46
incidents. Reported poisoning incidents show a regular annual pattern with a
significant peak in the spring, followed by a smaller peak in the autumn.
The incidents depicted in Fig. 1 comprised the confirmed killing of 64 red
kites, 24 golden eagles, six white tailed eagles, 344 buzzards, 24 peregrine
falcons and four hen harriers. Additionally, 313 other bird species were
recorded as killed by carbofuran poisoning, and 104 other animals. Part of
the problem with poisoning as a means of killing is precisely its indiscriminate nature when left as bait.
Fully 85 % of persons convicted of illegal poisonings worked in a gamekeeping or estate management capacity. Between 2003 and 2008, 157 cases
were brought but only 24 made it to court. Of these 21 resulted in a guilty
verdict for at least one of the charges listed. Many charges related to the
possession of the banned pesticide carbofuran which, although prohibited
in 2001, featured in 61 % of the confirmed poisoning incidents during
2009. Data gathered for the UK as a whole compiled through the Wildlife

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89 990 991 992 993 994 995 996 997 998 999 000 001 002 003 004 005 006 007 008 009
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Fig. 1 Confirmed Bird of Prey Poisoning Incidents in Scotland, 1988-2009 (RSPB
Scotland 2009)