It seems that birds of prey are falling prey themselves to pigeon racers and grouse hunters, who object to the object of their pleasures being eaten for lunch.
There are several articles in the New Scotsman about recent incidents:
Man held as bird traps seized in "swoop" on his home
A PIGEON fancier has been charged by police after bird traps used to catch wild hawks were allegedly found in his back garden. The six traps were allegedly used to illegally catch the birds of prey and then kill them. One of the traps was found baited with live wild and exotic finches, which are typically used to capture sparrowhawks, a protected species.
Gamekeeper keeps his job despite poisoning birds of prey
A GAMEKEEPER who admitted poisoning birds of prey in one of the country’s worst wildlife crimes has kept his job.
Stephen Muir pleaded guilty to placing poison pellets in the countryside on the Barns Estate at Kirkton Manor in the Borders, with the intention of killing wild birds.
Pigeon racers suspected in falcon killings
PIGEON fanciers were yesterday suspected of the deliberate poisoning of two young peregrine falcons being reared at a cliff-top nest on a nature reserve on the Buchan coast.
And — sadly — so on.
POLLENATRIX 