BTO Scotland are looking for volunteers to trial a series of point counts to test a method of monitoring breeding birds in the uplands, and specifically to trial a method for extensive background monitoring for Short-eared Owls. The survey method would be along driven transects with a first count in April/May and a second in June. For full details contact Anne Cotton at or

Our annual conference was held to-day at Perth with a range of topics. John Mitchell spoke on raptor monitoring before Raptor Study Groups and Dave Anderson on a Central Scotland Buzzard study. Phil Whitfield reported on the recently published Species Framework for Golden Eagles. Two papers in the afternoon related to Hen Harriers with Fiona Leckie on radio telemetry and ranging behaviour and Ron Summers on movements of birds outside the breeding season, recently published in Ringing and Migration. Dave Dick then spoke on the Indian Vulture Crisis before Dr Arne Follestad from Norway provided a somewhat worrying presentation on the Smola windfarm and White-tailed Eagles. A feature of our annual Conference is the Derek Ratcliffe Memorial Lecture and we were delighted that Derek's widow Jeanette could join us for the keynote address. Professor Erkki Korpimaki, Turku University, Finland, gave an excellent presentation on lessons from long term studies of Owls and Kestrels. Erkki has published extensively in this field and downloads are available from http://users.utu.fi/ekorpi/index.htm. The photograph shows Erkki (centre) with Duncan Orr-Ewing and John Simpson of Central Scotland Raptor Study Group who organised what was an extremely successful event.

During the summer of 2007 White-tailed Eagles will be reintroduced into the Killarney National Park as part of a five year project. It is planned to introduce 15 chicks a year brought from Norway to specific zones in the National Park. It is hoped that after five to six years the birds will begin to breed across the wider coastal and upland regions of Kerry and West Cork. For almost a century people in Ireland have been deprived of the glory of experiencing these great birds soaring again over their sea and landscapes. This project builds on the successful project in the west of Scotland and the new SNH strategy for expansion. To obtain more details of the Irish project and to provide support log on to www.aniolar.com

Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act provides a list of birds which have to be registered if kept in captivity, The system has now been in place for some time and has been instrumental in reducing the number of birds, such as Peregrines and Choughs, taken illegally from the wild for falconry and aviculture. When the system was first introduced there was a marked decline in the numbers of young Peregrines stolen from the nest. The system is now under threat in that DEFRA is currently undertaking a public consultation regarding the future of the scheme with several alternative options proposed including one suggestion that it be scrapped entirely. It is understood that DEFRA are keen to de-regulateand the consultation document places very little emphasis on conservation impact - see www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/birdreg-schedule4/index.htm. There is a great deal of worry that if the registration process disappears it will open the floodgates for the removal or Peregrines and other target species from the wild. Although Schedule 4 registration is a devolved issue for which the Scottish Executive are formally responsible, in practice the administration was delegated back to DEFRA so that a single register for the whole of Britain remained in place. For this reason the DEFRA consultation is highly relevant to Scotland as it is Scottish Peregrines and other raptors which are largely at risk. Note the closing date for responses is 16th February. Please consider writing individually to DEFRA - - with a copy to the Scottish Executive - [email protected].