The RSPB's annual Birdcrime report identifies North Yorkshire, Northumberland, Cumbria and Shropshire as the four counties that were the worst blackspots in England for reported persecution of birds of prey. There were 78 reports from North Yorkshire, 22 from Northumberland, and 16 each in Cumbria and Shropshire.
In 'Birdcrime 2007', the RSPB reveals it received 262 reports of incidents of illegal shooting, trapping and nest destruction of birds of prey during the course of last year. This compared with 185 reports in 2006, a figure which prompted the Society to launch a campaign calling for an end to the illegal killing of birds of prey.
There were 165 reports of possible offences involving the use of pesticides, resulting in the deaths of at least 104 birds and animals, including 49 birds of prey. These included the death of one half of the only breeding pair of golden eagles in the Scottish Borders, along with 17 red kites - the highest number recorded in a single year.
Reports of crimes against all wild birds were at record levels for a second year in a row, with 1,208 separate incidents reported to the RSPB's investigations department in 2007.
Part of the reason for the dramatic rise in reported crimes may be due to improved sharing of data between the RSPB, the police, RSPCA and the newly-formed National Wildlife Crime Unit.
Despite this, the RSPB believes the true figure is much higher still, with many crimes taking place in remote areas where they remain undetected and unreported.
The RSPB is urging the Government to make tackling the illegal persecution of birds of prey and other wildlife a higher priority for the UK's police forces.
'Tip of the iceberg'
Ian West, Head of Investigations at the RSPB, said: 'The number of reports coming in to us are the highest we have ever had, but we are still only seeing the tip of the iceberg.
'It is hard to say whether the problem is increasing or whether we are just getting to hear about more of the offences that are taking place. What is clear is that large numbers of birds are being illegally killed every year and that is totally unacceptable in a civilised society. There has to be a greater effort to enforce the law.'
He urged the Home Office to make it clear to police forces that wildlife crime needed to be given a higher priority.
'The RSPB can highlight the extent of the problem, but unless this issue is taken seriously, and measures to tackle it are written into individual forces' policing plans, then future Birdcrime reports will continue to paint a depressing picture of crime against the UK's wild birds.
'We will continue to do all we can to put a stop to these offences, despite the difficulty we often face in getting evidence. The public's help will continue to be vital if we are to identify where the problems are and try to do something about it.'