Bird attack blackspots unveiled

The new wildlife centre aims to protect birds

Tayside suffers from the highest number of attacks on birds of prey in the UK, according to new figures.

There were 1,113 confirmed incidents of birds of prey being poisoned, shot at or having their nests destroyed across the UK between 1995 and 2006.

The RSPB figures coincided with the launch of the National Wildlife Crime Unit, based in Edinburgh.

Scotland was hit by 494 attacks, England 454, while Wales and Northern Ireland recorded 142 and 23 incidents.

WORST ENGLISH AND SCOTTISH REGIONS FOR BIRD ATTACKS 1995-06 Tayside, 98 Highland, 89 Strathclyde, 87 Grampian, 66 Borders, 54 Dumfries & Galloway, 51 Northumberland, 41 Devon, 34 Norfolk, 30 North Yorkshire, 29 Cumbria, 29 Derbyshire, 24 Lancashire, 20 Nottinghamshire, 17 Shropshire, 16 Merseyside, 15 Lothian, 14 Fife, 14 Central Scotland, 13 Western Isles, 8

Tayside was the worst region for attacks with 98 incidents, followed by Highland with 89 and Strathclyde with 87.

Tayside Police wildlife crime officer Alan Stewart said he was "surprised" at the figure.

RSPB director of conservation Mark Avery said: "Persecution of birds of prey is holding back the recovery of special species.

"The hen harrier, golden eagle and red kite are all too frequently the victims of illegal persecution.

"We look forward to the creation of National Wildlife Crime Unit and hope that it is finally able to stamp out those crimes which were outlawed decades ago."