Some 36 birds of prey died in 2019, with 22 of these as a result of poisoning, according to the 2019 Recording and Addressing Persecution and Threats to Our Raptors (RAPTOR) report.

The common buzzard and Hen Harrier were the most frequent casualties.

A total of 39 incidents were confirmed in Ireland, with 36 individual birds of prey dead, reflecting the highest number of cases for any year since the RAPTOR protocol formally began in 2011.

These cases were comprised of 22 raptor poisoning incidents (involving 23 birds), three poisoned bait incidents, four road casualties, three incidents where birds of prey were shot, two deaths due to wind turbine strikes, two deaths caused by injury and one death caused by entanglement in netting.

Some cases involved more than one incident or more than one casualty.

Birds

Of the raptor species confirmed to have died as a result of direct human impact in 2019, the most frequent casualty was the common buzzard (10), followed by the Hen Harrier (8), red kite (7), peregrine falcon (4), sparrowhawk (2), kestrel (2), long-eared owl (1) and barn owl (1).

The number recorded is likely to be only a fraction of the actual number of incidents that occurred in total.

The number of buzzard deaths recorded is likely to increase this year, with 23 found dead in west Cork in January of this year. Testing confirmed the cause of death was the banned insecticide Carbofuran.

The number of buzzard deaths recorded is likely to increase this year, with 23 found dead in west Cork in January of this year

In 2019, buzzards were poisoned and three were shot. Of the eight hen harriers that died, two were poisoned, two died from injuries, two were hit by vehicles on roads, one was tangled in netting and one died after it struck a wind turbine.

As noted in 2018, there were a number of cases that occurred in tandem or in close proximity. “Looking back on the locations where incidents were found since 2011, there is clear evidence to suggest that there are particular blank spots, geographically, that deserve immediate attention,” the report said.

Poisons

The main poisons implicated in RAPTOR incidents in 2019 were:

  • Alphachloralose (illegal) and Betachloralose (used in rodenticide) - 13 cases
  • Brodifacoum (active ingredient found in rodenticides) – 12 cases
  • Carbofuran (banned insecticide) – eight cases
  • Flocoumafen (found in rodenticide) – five cases
  • Difenacoum (found in rodenticide) - four cases
  • Bromadiolone – three cases
  • Methiocarb (found in rodenticide) – one case
  • Nitroxynil – one case
  • “Carbofuran, despite being banned since 2008, continues to be one of the primary poisons detected annually.

    “This frequency with which this lethal poison is used and its widespread use across Ireland in wildlife crime, is of significant concern,” the report said.

    In the majority of cases, the poisoning is believed to have been bioaccumulated from the ingestion of rodents and thus is taken to be secondary and unintentional.

    Rodenticides have been recorded in 60% of all reported incidents and confirmed during the period of the RAPTOR protocol to-date.

    At the time of publication, investigations are ongoing in relation to some RAPTOR incidents recorded in 2019.

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