A court heard yesterday of concerns over a trade between Scotland and Germany in the eggs and chicks of protected and endangered birds.

The sheriff at Dumfries was told that, as a result, there had been an increasing tendency for raids on nests in Dumfries and Galloway.

After a watch by wardens, police and a spotter plane on the nests of two peregrine falcons near Moffat, two men from the North-east of England were arrested. The men were fined #5000 each at the court for disturbing nests of the peregrine falcons in May last year.

Dennis Dowson, 41, of Newcastle, and Lesley Massey, 37, of Howdon, Wallsend, admitted two charges under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. They pleaded guilty to disturbing or being near the nests of peregrine falcons at Raven Craig and three miles away at Falcon Craig when one contained three eggs and the other three chicks.

Pleas of not guilty to taking or destroying three eggs and injuring, killing or taking three chicks were accepted by the Crown.

Mr Bob Morrison, prosecuting, said an RSSPB investigator and National Trust warden had been watching one site after information that there might be a visit by persons known to the police.

Two men were seen approaching the nest and used a rope to go down to it. Police were contacted and roadblocks were set up and a spotter plane used to keep a further watch on the men, who were seen to head off in the direction of the second site. They were seen at the site with the adult birds flying around in a distressed state. They were then seen heading for a car and were stopped by the police.

The nests, which had been checked the day before with the eggs and chicks in them, were found to be empty.

Both men had previously been fined #1000 for offences three years ago.

Sheriff Michael Fletcher said the courts took a very serious view of offences such as this. He gave the men six months to pay the #5000 fines.