Spotted one of these?

RSPB want to know if you’ve seen a hen harrier in Lancashire

Maler Hen Harrier

As spring approaches, the RSPB is calling on eagled-eyed wildlife fans who enjoy walking in the moorlands of Lancashire to keep a look out for hen harriers, one of England’s rarest birds of prey.

 

The nature conservation charity has relaunched its Hen Harrier Hotline in the hope of finding out where these birds might be breeding.   

 

At this time of year, the male hen harrier performs his courtship display known as skydancing, involving a spectacular series of swoops and somersaults. If he is fortunate enough to attract a female, he then proves his worth as a mate by passing her food offerings in mid-air.

 

Ringtail, female Hen Harrir

Scientists estimate there is sufficient habitat in England to provide a home to around 300 pairs of breeding hen harriers. But last year there were only three successful nests in the whole country.

 

Hen harriers are in trouble largely because of ongoing illegal persecution. This is because they sometimes eat red grouse, which can make them unwelcome on moors managed for driven grouse shooting. This type of shooting requires huge numbers of red grouse and some game managers feel they need to illegally kill or disturb harriers to protect their business.

 

Amanda Miller, Conservation Manager for the RSPB in Northern England, said: “The past few breeding seasons have been disastrous for England’s hen harriers and sadly there appears to be no let up in the illegal killing and disturbance of these magnificent birds.

 

“If we can find out where these birds are breeding, we can deploy specialist staff to protect the nests, thereby giving them the best chance of success. We can also fit them with satellite tags enabling us to track their movements once they have fledged.”

 

Male hen harriers are an ash-grey colour with black wing tips and a wingspan of just less than a metre. They are sometimes known as ghostbirds because of the pale colour of their plumage.

 

Female hen harriers are slightly larger, are owl-like in appearance, and have a mottled brown plumage, which camouflages them when they nest on the ground. They have horizontal stripes on their tails, giving them the nickname ringtail and a patch of white just above, on the rump.

  

The Harrier Hotline number is 0845 4600121 (calls charged at local rate).  Reports can also be e-mailed to henharriers@rspb.org.uk.  Reports of sightings should include the date and location of sighting, with a six-figure grid reference where possible. A description of the bird’s behaviour would also be useful.

 

The Hotline feeds into RSPB’s Hen Harrier LIFE+ Project, a five year programme of hen harrier conservation in England and Scotland. For more information, visit www.rspb.org.uk/henharrierlife.

 

 

Follow @RSPB_Skydancer for the latest hen harrier news

RSPB launches Hen Harrier Hotline

Male Hen Harrier

A special hotline has opened to encourage people who live or spend time in the English uplands to report sightings of England’s rarest breeding bird of prey, the hen harrier.

Refreshed and updated for its fifth consecutive year in operation, the Hen Harrier Hotline is being relaunched by the RSPB in the hope of discovering more about where these birds are potentially breeding in northern England.   

The hen harrier is one of our most awe-inspiring birds of prey with the male harrier performing a magnificent aerobatic courtship display in spring known as skydancing, and providing food to the female in spectacular mid-air food passes.

Sadly, the species is also affected by illegal persecution, a fact reinforced by the government-commissioned review – the hen harrier framework - which concluded that illegal killing and disturbance is the biggest single factor limiting the population of this species in Northern England.

 It is estimated that the heather moors of England have the potential to hold at least 320 pairs of nesting hen harriers, but in 2011 there were only four successful nests, all of which were confined to one area of Lancashire.

Harriers are smaller than a buzzard and larger than a crow, with a 100 -120 cm wingspan.  These long wings are complemented by long tails and an obvious white rump.  They are usually seen flying low over the ground with wings slightly raised in a characteristic V-shape.  Male and female hen harriers have strikingly different plumage, so much so that they were once thought to be separate species.  The male is a ghostly pale blue-grey, with black wingtips, while the larger female is dark brown with a series of horizontal stripes on her tail, earning her the nickname “ringtail”.

Female Hen Harrier

Amanda Miller, the RSPB’s Conservation Manager for Northern England said: “Hen harriers in England are very rare so we are interested in hearing about any sightings of these amazing birds. By receiving information about possible nests, we can help give hen harriers the best possible chance of breeding successfully.”

  

The Harrier Hotline number is 0845 4600121 (calls charged at local rate).  Reports can also be e-mailed to henharriers@rspb.org.uk.  Reports of sightings should include the date and location of sighting, with a six-figure grid reference where possible.

The Hen Harrier Hotline is part of Skydancer, a four-year RSPB project aimed at protecting and conserving nesting hen harriers in the English uplands. The project is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, United Utilities and SITA Trust, with additional support from the Forestry Commission.

For more information about Skydancer visit www.rspb.org.uk/skydancer.