RSPB Scotland believes that eight golden eagles have been killed illegally around grouse moors

The wildlife charity believes they were killed illegally around grouse moors and their satellite tracking tags destroyed.

However, the sport remains controversial and the management of grouse shooting moors has been linked to the persecution of raptors by some wildlife bodies.

Cold spring could affect Scottish grouse shooting season

Scotland's grouse shooting season will begin later, with cold weather hitting bird numbers this year.

The opening day of the grouse shooting season is traditionally known as the Glorious Twelfth.

Eight years after Riodoce was founded, it won the prestigious Maria Moors Cabot award for coverage in Latin America.

But landowners insisted they were committed to conservation and that grouse shooting was vital to the rural economy.

Marking the start of the season, the Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) said grouse shooting sustained more jobs than the Edinburgh festivals.

Many gamekeepers acknowledge that grouse shooting is not universally popular, but the SGA said the industry had made significant strides in terms of best practice.

The Scottish Moorland Group accused the RSPB of trying to whip up anti shooting feelings ahead of the grouse season and said there was no clear evidence of the birds having even died in the Monadhliath area.