RSPB: Using Google Earth to plot Peregrine persecution

New research by the RSPB and the Northern England Raptor Forum has revealed the apparent extent of persecution of Peregrine Falcons that attempt to nest on England's grouse moors. The paper — "Linking nest histories, remotely sensed land data and wildlife crime records to explore the impact of grouse moor management on peregrine falcon populations" — is published in the international scientific journal Biological Conservation. The study used Google Earth to map the characteristic 'strip burning' that is typical of moorland managed for intensive grouse shooting. This map was then combined with nearly three decades of nest monitoring information that had been collected by teams of dedicated volunteer monitors from raptor groups across the north of England. Comparisons of the fortunes of Peregrine Falcons breeding on grouse moors with those breeding in other habitats in northern England revealed that breeding success for birds on grouse moors was half that of birds in other habitats. Only a third of nests on grouse moors produced young.

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