Tears of joy as 22 rare Hen Harrier chicks fly the nest
I COULD literally cry I’m so happy with the news just in from my friends at The RSPB that, 22 hen harrier chicks have fledged from five nests on the United Utilities Estate in Bowland.
This is the second year in a row that hen harriers have nested successfully at the East Lancashire site, after 13 chicks fledged from three nests in 2018.
Following six years of little or no consistent breeding success in the Forest of Bowland, conservationists are now hopeful that this could mark the start of the return of these rare and beautiful birds of prey to an area once considered a stronghold for them in England.
Hen harriers breed on hills and moors, and are best-known for the male’s breath-taking courtship display known as skydancing.
However, they are on the verge of disappearing as a breeding bird in England owing to ongoing illegal persecution associated with driven grouse shooting.
Scientific research published in March this year, based on data from Natural England, showed that 72 per cent of satellite-tagged hen harriers were considered or confirmed to have been illegally killed, and were 10 times more likely to die or disappear over grouse moor than any other type of land use.
Although experts estimate there is enough habitat in northern England to support over 300 pairs, last year there were only nine successful nests in the whole country.
This is a national disgrace and it is no surprise to me that although not openly condoned by the Landowners, most of them hang around Westminster by the way, EVERYONE knows what has been going on for years.
I should be able to direct readers to hen harrier strongholds in the Peak District, unfortunately they are so rare I can’t even hint at where they can be found.
However, let’s look on the bright side and laud a unique partnership, and shout out loud that United Utilities Estate in Bowland is bucking that trend.
Since early spring, RSPB’s staff and volunteers, together with United Utilities, their shooting and farming tenants, and the Forest of Bowland AONB, have put everything into protecting and supporting the five hen harrier nests on this estate, through close monitoring, diversionary feeding, habitat management, and careful avoidance of disturbance.
However, hen harriers are known to travel widely, and concern still remains for the birds once they leave the estate.
Prior to fledging, a number of this year’s chicks were fitted with satellite tags, which were provided by the RSPB’s EU-funded Hen Harrier LIFE project.
This will allow RSPB conservation staff to continue to monitor the progress of the birds once they have left Bowland.
Members of the public can follow the progress of two of these – young male, Apollo, and female, Cyan – as their journeys will be added to the LIFE project website at www.rspb.org. uk/henharrierlife, in the coming weeks as they leave their nest areas.
Sadly, like many of the UK’s hen harriers, those satellite-tagged in Bowland have not always met with happy ends.
In 2012, Bowland Betty died from an injury resulting from a shot gun wound and in 2014, barely two months after leaving their nests, Sky and Hope disappeared without trace when their tags suddenly and inexplicably stopped transmitting within a few miles of each other.
Tragically, two of the young hen harriers tagged in Bowland just last year have already died or disappeared in suspicious circumstances – Thor’s tag stopped transmitting near same the location as Sky and Hope, and River’s body was found in North Yorkshire, lodged with two shot pellets.
Okay, this was a good news, bad news feature but let’s finish on a positive... the skydancers are coming home and if you want further proof why this is amazing news, just look at this wonderful photograph of a male hen harrier taken by my good friend Jari Peltomaki of Finland.
Check out his site at jaripeltomaki.com for more amazing shots and information on his bird photography tours.