Critically endangered hen harriers are continuing to face “relentless” persecution in the North East, it has been claimed.

The RSPB’s annual Birdcrime report, covering October 2022-October 2023, records seven cases in County Durham where hen harriers have suffered persecution or have disappeared in suspicious circumstances, when their satellite tags have suddenly stopped transmitting. A further five such incidents are reported from Northumberland.

In County Durham there were also two cases involving red kites. The report details 61 confirmed UK incidents involving illegal shooting, trapping, and poisoning of birds of prey such as buzzards, red kites, goshawks, hen harriers, and peregrines., with 64% linked to land used for gamebird shooting.

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The report says: “These figures only show the confirmed incidents. The actual figures are likely to be much higher as crimes often take place in remote areas where the perpetrators can easily conceal these activities.

“All these species are protected by laws designed to help our rarest and threatened species. There is clearly no place for such crimes against some of our best loved species.

“Hen harriers, a red listed species, are being relentlessly targeted, particularly in areas dominated by driven grouse moors. Since January 2022, RSPB and Natural England data reveals that 39 hen harriers have been confirmed killed or have ‘suspiciously disappeared’ across the UK. Two of the most shocking incidents recorded against hen harriers include a Natural England satellite-tagged bird called Free which had its head pulled off while still alive, and four hen harrier chicks that were trampled to death in a nest being monitored by Natural England.”

A case study presented by the report highlights the fate of Dagda, a male satellite-tagged hen harrier, found shot dead in May 2023 on a moor in Northumberland.

In April he had settled down on the RSPB’s nature reserve at Geltsdale on the Northumberland Cumbria border, where staff monitored him by both visual sightings and the regular data transmitted from his tag. He found a mate and began nest building but in April he was noted as having significant tail damage, suggestive of having been shot at.

After breeding, he was later found dead, with his body recovered Knarsdale Moor by Northumbria Police on May 12. An examination found that Dagda’s body contained recent shot from a shotgun, confirmed to be the cause of death. The examination also indicated that the bird had recovered from an earlier shooting incident and identified damage to his tail, consistent with damage caused by a shotgun.

“The RSPB continues to call for the licensing of driven grouse moors as this is key to effectively tackling soaring crimes against birds of prey,” the report said.