Gamekeeper guilty of shooting Short-eared Owls

Keeper Timothy Cowin has pleaded guilty to charges concerning the killing of two Short-eared Owls. On 19 April 2017, Cowin, gamekeeper on the Whenside Estate, Cumbria, was seen walking on the moor holding a gun, before an RSPB investigations officer watched him shoot and kill two Short-eared Owls, and then dispose of their bodies. Cowin, 44, has also pleaded guilty to a separate charge relating to the possession of items capable of being used to commit offences against wild birds.

Cowin has pleaded guilty to three different charges relating to bird of prey persecution (Guy Shorrock/RSPB).

RSPB officers were visiting the area, which is managed for driven grouse shooting, after a previous incident, during which Cowin was thought to be illegally using an electronic calling device to lure in birds of prey. Following the shootings on 19 April, the police were called instantly and, after a chase on foot, Cowin was intercepted and arrested. Both owl corpses were recovered, and a post-mortem examination confirmed they had both been shot.

Other items were seized by the police, including a rock covered in blood near where the first shot bird was found; Short-eared Owl DNA was confirmed following a forensic examination. A 'fox pro' – a type of electronic sound luring device – was also found in Cowin's vehicle and seized. It was later forensically examined, and found to have had the calls of birds of prey added to it, believed to have been done so deliberately in order to lure birds of prey close enough for shooting.

Bird of prey persecution is a UK government wildlife crime priority, and persecution connected with land managed for driven grouse shooting continues to have serious conservation impacts on a number of species. Guy Shorrock, RSPB Senior Investigations Officer, was present on the day of the arrest and said: "Over the years we have had a number of very disturbing reports from people within the shooting industry, alleging widespread and systematic killing of Short-eared Owls on grouse moors in the north of England. The premeditated way these beautiful birds were flushed, shot and hidden was truly shocking. We are immensely grateful for the response of the police to this remote location."

This case highlights the persistent targeting of birds of prey on land managed for driven grouse shooting and the RSPB is calling for the introduction of a licensing system to improve the accountability of these areas across the UK. This would not only help protect birds of prey but, would also tackle wider damaging grouse moor management practices, such as heather burning on deep peat.