Fears for bearded vulture spotted in the Peak District

The bearded vulture is one of the largest birds ever seen in the UK

Concerns have been raised over the safety of a rare bird of prey which has been spotted roosting in the Peak District National Park.

Birdwatchers have flocked to the moors to see the bearded vulture, which has only been seen once before in the UK, the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust said.

But the trust's Tim Birch said it "couldn't have come to a worse spot in terms of bird of prey persecution".

This idea was rejected by the Peak District Moorland Group.

Mr Birch said as it was coming up to grouse shooting season, there were fears the rare raptor could be intentionally poisoned or shot.

"I don't think people realise it's happening in the national park," he said.

"The bearded vulture is of international importance, so if anything happened to that bird it would bring into sharp focus what is happening here."

He said there had been 21 confirmed cases of bird of prey persecution from 2012 to 2018 in the Peak District National Park.

However Richard Bailey, gamekeeper and co-ordinator of the Peak District Moorland Group, said "suggestions that this vulture is at risk from attack by gamekeepers" were wrong.

"[It is] a sad reflection on them resurrecting past wildlife crimes and not embracing the fantastic partnership collaboration of the Peak District Bird of Prey Initiative going forward," he said.

"Even with RSPB allegations of a spike in persecutions, [it] has seen a tremendous successful breeding season for raptors in the Peak District."

'So uplifting'

Mr Birch said the bearded vulture fed mainly on bones from carcasses, very rarely on live prey, and could swallow bones whole, which were dissolved in its stomach.

It is thought the bearded vulture is about two years old and has come to the UK from the Alps

He said it was thought the raptor had come from the French or Swiss Alps, where the endangered species is being reintroduced.

About 500 birdwatchers have come to catch a glimpse of the bird from all over the UK, as well as France, Spain and the Netherlands.

Birdwatcher Indy Kiemel Greene, 15, who photographed the bearded vulture on Sunday, shared the trust's fears for its safety.

He said: "Unfortunately this bird is at great risk because the location that it's at in the Derbyshire Peaks is well-known for raptor persecution, so we are all keeping our fingers crossed and doing our best to protect this bird because what a wonder to have it in the UK."

It is thought the bird could stay in the area for a couple of weeks if it has found food before eventually returning to the Alps.

Mr Birch added: "We would urge everybody to look after this bird, enjoy it while it's here.

"It gives you a glimpse of what a wilder future could be like across the UK, it's so uplifting, particularly in these times of Covid-19."

He added the only other bearded vulture ever recorded in the UK was in 2016, around Dartmoor.

It is thought the bird could stay in the area for a couple of weeks if it has found food