Most successful breeding season in decade for threatened harriers

ENGLAND HAS seen its most successful hen harrier breeding season for a decade with 34 chicks fledging, Natural England has revealed.

The Government’s conservation agency said nine out of 14 nesting attempts by England’s most endangered bird of prey across Lancashire, Cumbria, Northumberland and Derbyshire were successful. Hen harriers have come close to extinction as a breeding bird in England due to historic persecution and conservationists warn they are still targeted by gamekeepers because they prey on red grouse.

But in an often bitter debate, the shooting industry says estates spend millions of pounds a year to support wildlife and it wants to see a well-dispersed hen harrier population which co-exists with businesses.

This year’s breeding success is down to high numbers of voles which are a main source of food, good weather, and efforts by organisations to help the species, according to Natural England.

Part of the efforts included “diversionary feeding”, offering supplementary food to the chicks since they have hatched to boost survival chances and divert the adults from taking chicks of other birds including red grouse.

The partnership between conservation groups, national parks and moorland managers has helped find and monitor nests and fit satellite tags on many of the young birds to track them.

Half of the attempts, four of which were successful, were on national nature reserves. Four nests were successful on land managed for grouse moor shooting, including three on United Utilities land in the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire, and one on land owned by the National Trust in the Peak District.