The Chronicle told last June how Police Scotland were investigating following the discovery of the dead hen harrier. The birds remains were found on moorland close to Muirkirk, which was declared a special protection area in 2003 in order to help guard these rare birds.

Police at the time were unable to divulge how the bird was killed due to ongoing enquiries. Now a report, released as part of the Government’s raptor persecution crime maps, has shown that there was one hen harrier killed in all of Ayrshire last year and that it was the result of a shooting.

The killing of the bird left two chicks orphaned. The bird’s two chicks were discovered alive nearby and have been taken into the care of the Scottish SPCA, who launched a joint enquiry with the police.

Ian Thomson from RSPB Scotland, said: “Sadly, the hen harrier is a bird that has, over many decades, been persecuted against. Hen harriers feed on things like grouse chicks as part of their diet and grouse moor managers, seeing this as threat, often kill these birds of prey despite the fact that they are protected. What struck me about this case was that the land on which the bird was found was declared a special protection area in order to protect these birds.” The hen harrier population has a dramatic decline, dropping by 20 per cent in the six years from 2004 to 2010.

Ian added: “This incident was appalling but if there is any good to come from it it’s that the chicks were both fled successfully just a few weeks later.” Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn of the Scottish SPCA also added: “Hen harriers are rare and it is very concerning that someone has killed such a magnificent bird of prey.

“We can be thankful the two chicks were still alive as they would have died had they not been rescued.”