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

Gone Girls: Threatened birds of prey disappear without trace

Hope

Two young satellite-tagged hen harriers have vanished in Lancashire in unexplained circumstances. 

The female birds, named Sky and Hope, both fledged this year from nests on the United Utilities Bowland Estate in Lancashire where they had been protected around the clock by RSPB staff and volunteers.

Hen harriers are England’s most threatened bird of prey and this season there were only four successful nests in the whole country. Sky and Hope were among the first chicks to fledge in England since 2012.

Sky was officially named and adopted by pupils from Brennand’s Endowed Primary School in Slaidburn in Bowland. Hope was given her name by members of the RSPB’s youth groups from Macclesfield and Leighton Moss, Lancashire.  

The birds were both fitted with lightweight solar-powered satellite tags, designed to be operational for around three years. Satellite tags are frequently used by conservation organisations to find out more about the movements of species. For example, The British Trust for Ornithology has been following the migration of tagged cuckoos since 2011.  

Scientists tracking the movements of the young hen harriers became concerned when their tags stopped transmitting. Sky’s satellite signal stopped suddenly on the evening of Wednesday 10 September with the data suggesting she was roosting at her last known location, while Hope’s last’s known location was sent on the morning of Saturday 13 September. 

Both of the birds had left their nest sites on the United Utilities Estate several weeks earlier but had remained in the Bowland area since fledging. Searches were made but neither Sky nor Hope have been recovered.

Experts think it is improbable that the loss of satellite transmission is due to technical failure. Only a tiny percentage of hen harriers fitted with satellite tags since 2007 have stopped transmitting when it was known the tracked bird was alive.

Bob Elliot, RSPB Head of Investigations, said: “In our experience, this satellite technology is normally very reliable and it is rare for them to fail for technological reasons.  Losing two birds in such a short time frame and in the same geographical area is strange.

“Based on the last known data and our understanding of the technology, Sky appears to have suffered a catastrophic tag failure at roost suggesting either natural predation or human intervention as the likely causes for her sudden failure to transmit. However, we would not expect natural predation to stop the tag transmitting data so suddenly. Hope’s tag was transmitting reliably, with no evidence of any technical problems.”

TV presenter and hen harrier campaigner Chris Packham said: “It’s incredibly disheartening to discover that two of this year’s chicks have already apparently failed to survive. It shows how vulnerable hen harriers are and that four nests are nowhere near enough. Without satellite tagging, these disappearances might never have come to our attention but technology is on our side and we will keep watching.”

Sky

The disappearance of the birds has been reported to Lancashire Police and the RSPB is offering a £1,000 reward. Anyone with information about either of the birds should contact  

Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or, alternatively, call the RSPB’s confidential hotline on 0845 466 3636.