Photographer convicted for disturbing honey buzzard nest

A photographer has been found guilty of disturbing a European Honey Buzzard nest – and fined more than £1,600.

John Paul Haffield, 68, from Neath, appeared before Swansea Magistrates Court on Tuesday 25 June and was sentenced following a trial of disturbing a nest containing a breeding pair of honey buzzard and their eggs. Following Haffield's disturbance, one of the eggs failed. European Honey Buzzard is a very rare breeding bird in Wales.

He visited nest sites of several Schedule 1 species throughout Wales, taking photographs of the birds and their young or their eggs within the nest and then offered the images for sale online on his own website.

European Honey Buzzard is a Schedule 1 species – it's a crime to disturb breeding pairs (Peter Harris).

 

Disturbing rare breeding birds

Haffield visited the honey buzzard nest in question on a number of occasions. 

PC Mark Powell on secondment with the Natural Resources Wales Industry Regulation team said: "Officers from Natural Resources Wales are successfully working with police forces across Wales, and the National Wildlife Crime Unit to investigate and prosecute those responsible for committing wildlife and rural crime offences.

"This was a particularly upsetting case. The defendant was actively taking photographs of birds protected under Schedule 1 and offering them for sale."

 

Egg failure

PC Powell continued: "Climbing to nests causes extreme stress to adult birds resulting in eggs not being properly incubated. On the honey buzzard nest there were two eggs and one failed.

"This is very disappointing as honey buzzard is considered to be one of the rarest birds in Wales and this was the only known nest. Recently the nest featured on the BBC documentary Iolo's Valleys and is actively monitored as part of a nest monitoring programme to help ensure the species' survival.

"Mr Haffield maintained his innocence and elected to go to trial. Unfortunately for him he was found guilty and received fines and costs totalling £1,620.

"I would like to thank the Licencing Team at NRW and the expert witnesses who gave evidence in Court. Multi-agency co-operation has never been better and together we will continue to investigate and prosecute offenders."