Nottinghamshire Police share ways in which to protect birds of prey against wildlife crime as part of the national policing initiative Operation Owl

Nottinghamshire Police have been sharing ways in which they help to protect against wildlife crime as part of the national policing initiative Operation Owl, which focuses on birds of prey.

Birds face a host of challenges caused by people, from habitat loss to the use of pesticides in the environment, but they are also the target of illegal killings, egg collectors and nest disturbances.

All wild birds are protected under section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 which makes the killing or injuring of birds an offence and prohibits the damage or destruction of their nests.

There are some exceptions to this for species of game birds or waterfowl which can be hunted or species which cause damage to crops or attack endangered species — however, the general licence and birds that can be legally hunted do not include raptor species.

Many birds of prey have additional protections, and even to handle these birds for ringing, fitting trackers or counting their young, a licence must first be obtained from Natural England.

Egg collecting was a hobby in Victorian Britain but it was outlawed by the Protection of Birds act 1954 which made it illegal to take or destroy an egg of any wild bird.

The legislation was strengthened by the Wildlife and Countryside act 1981 which made it an offence to possess the egg of a wild bird.

Some offenders still collect birds eggs which causes damage to wild bird populations.