Airgun vandals have been condemned as “mindless morons” after a second attack at a popular Angus nature reserve.
Just days after feeders and nesting boxes at the Balgavies Loch facility, near Forfar were destroyed by an air weapon, a window in the reserve’s main hide was shot at and shattered, causing outrage among regular visitors to the Scottish Wildlife Trust attraction.
It is almost certain that the shooting was carried out with an illegal weapon after new certification laws came into place on January 1.
Police are continuing to investigate the incidents, with growing anger among those who enjoy the peace of the picturesque loch, a few miles east of Forfar.
Balgavies has rocketed in popularity since it became the location for the hatching of the first recorded Angus osprey chick in 2012, and since then the migrant raptors have returned each summer to raise further broods, including four young in 2016.
It is thought the hide shooting happened around dusk on December 28, with a tell-tale bullet hole left in the hide window.
One regular said: “Airgun pellets were found on the floor again and although the hide window is laminated glass the shot has gone right through it.”
Online reports that an airgun was found dumped at the reserve have been dismissed as false.
“The car park was littered with fast food wrappers like the last time, and whoever has done this has used the feeders and squirrel boxes for target practice,” added the regular.
“Hopefully they never got any birds or squirrels — we haven’t seen any evidence of that but you don’t now if they have injured some of the wildlife shooting at it and it has then either flown or run off.
“It’s disgusting that these morons are coming out to the reserve and doing this. Imagine if you met someone in the dark coming down the path with an airgun — anything could happen.”
