Vervolging van roofvogels in Nederland in 2010

Poisoning (N=8) and deliberate disturbances of nests (N=70) were recorded throughout The Netherlands (Table 1). Victims of poisoning were Buzzard Buteo buteo (N=4), Goshawk Accipter gentilis (N=3) and Red Kite Milvus milvus (1x). The following insecticides were found in poisoned raptors (and poisoned baits), sometimes even in combinations: aldicarb (5x), carbofuran (3x), parathion (2x) and chlorpyrifos (1x). Pesticide concentrations were found of up to 23,000 mg/kg (carbofuran in a Carrion Crow Corvus corone, used as bait). The baits used for poisoning raptors are typically hunter’s quarry (often containing shot as well), i.e. lagomorphs, pigeons and corvids. Disturbing nests by deliberately keeping parents away from the nest or by destroying eggs, killing nestlings, cutting down the nesting tree and shooting is widespread. Based on the recorded intensity of persecution (Table 2), the large sample of nest cards (2708 in 2010), the wide distribution of nest cards across the country and recent population estimates of raptor species, it is calculated that a minimum of 533 raptor nests have been destroyed in 2010, mostly Buzzards, Goshawks and Marsh Harriers (Table 3). This number is in line with the findings of the last few years, but does not pay credit to the increase in persecution intensity in the province of Friesland, as evident from other sources.