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A photographer from Wales, John Paul Haffield, has been fined $2,000 (£1,600) after being found guilty of disturbing one of the U.K.'s rarest birds. Haffield, 68, climbed to the nest of a honey buzzard, causing "extreme stress" to the adult birds, which led to one of the eggs not being properly incubated. The nest contained only two eggs.
Haffield had a habit of visiting protected bird nests to capture photographs of them with their young or eggs, later selling these images on his website. Police Constable Mark Powell expressed dismay over the incident, saying, "This was a particularly upsetting case. The defendant was actively taking photographs of birds protected under Schedule 1 and offering them for sale."
The disruption caused by Haffield’s actions had significant consequences. "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," Constable Powell explained.
The honey buzzard, a raptor native to Europe, Asia, and Africa, is one of the rarest birds in the U.K., with only 33 breeding pairs left in the wild. The birds, which lay only two eggs per year, are particularly vulnerable during nesting season. Digital Camera World reports that the honey buzzard is considered one of the rarest birds in Wales, and this nest was the only known one in the area.
The incident gained additional attention as the nest had recently been featured in a BBC documentary and was part of a nest monitoring program aimed at ensuring the species’ survival. Despite maintaining his innocence and opting for a trial, Haffield was found guilty under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, which protects wild birds and their nests. He received fines and costs totaling $2,000 (£1,620).
The Act imposes special penalties for offenses related to Schedule 1 protected birds, including disturbing them at their nests. Honey buzzards breed in the U.K. during the summer, nesting in wooded areas and often soaring high in the sky, making them elusive to birdwatchers.
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