Hen harrier missing from Monadhliath Mountains
Elwood's last recorded position was in an area of managed moorland a few miles from the Slochd summit on the A9. (stock photo)
A young male hen harrier has vanished from a grouse moor in the Scottish Highlands, in the same area where eight golden eagles have been reported missing in the past few years.
The missing bird, named Elwood, had been fitted with a satellite transmitter as part of a project by RSPB Scotland. He was the only chick to fledge from a nest in Banffshire.
Staff monitoring the young hen harrier say the tag was providing detailed information about his location until transmission stopped suddenly on 3 August. His last recorded position was in an area of managed moorland a few miles from the Slochd summit on the A9.
It emerged last week that eight tagged golden eagles have gone missing from the Monadhliath Mountains, south-east of Inverness, in less than five years. RSPB Scotland's head of investigations, Ian Thompson, called the latest disappearance "deeply concerning".
It is thought the birds are being illegally killed to prevent them from reducing the number of grouse on shooting estates. Mr Thompson said: "The transmitters being fitted to these birds are exceedingly reliable, and illegal persecution is therefore the most likely explanation of the disappearance of these birds of prey."
Typical breeding raptor species are absent from areas of suitable habitat and at nesting sites in large parts of the Monadliath Mountains, he added, which further points to a "major problem" with wildlife crime in the area.
The nest from which Elwood fledged in early July was being monitored as part of a project between the local landowner and the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime Scotland.
Mr Thompson added: "It proves, yet again, that despite there being a good number of enlightened estates who are happy to host and protect nesting birds of prey - as soon as they move away from these areas they are being illegally killed."
RSPB Scotland is calling for a robust system of licensing for game bird shooting, which would require estates to manage land legally and sustainably, or risk losing their right to shoot.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has updated its online reporting service for dead wild birds.
