All six eggs laid by a pair of England's most threatened birds of prey have hatched out in a nest in Northumberland, the RSPB and Forestry Commission said today.
The pair of rare hen harriers is nesting in North Tynedale and more than 30 volunteers are helping the RSPB and Forestry Commission protect the birds and their young from any illegal human interference. The Northumberland nest is one of only a handful of hen harriers breeding in England this year. Members of the nest watch team are on duty around the clock alongside RSPB officers and Forestry Commission rangers to safeguard the nest and protect the birds.
The first of the six eggs laid by the female harrier hatched on 15th May but the last chick only emerged on Friday (23rd). It is very unusual for a pair of harriers to raise so many chicks and the harrier ‘task force' is delighted that their efforts to guard the nest have had such a fantastic result.
Phil Curtis of the RSPB, who is organising the nest watch said: 'We are thrilled to have six healthy hen harrier chicks in a nest in Northumberland. It's a great result for all the volunteers who have helped out with the nest watch so far this spring. With so few harriers nesting in England, every chick is precious and we will be keeping our fingers crossed that the youngsters make good progress over the coming weeks.'
Tom Dearnley of the Forestry Commission added: 'We are delighted that harriers are nesting on Forestry Commission land for a second year and that the nestwatch has been such a success so far. Our main concern now is to safeguard the chicks from illegal interference. We will continue to watch over the nest and now that the male bird's favourite hunting areas have been identified, we will be monitoring his movements as well.'
The male harrier offers food to his mate in gravity-defying aerial food passes and performs a magnificent aerobatic display or ‘skydance' in spring. The male is a stunning grey, and the female subtly coloured brown and cream.
Earlier this month, the government confirmed hen harriers as 'England's most seriously threatened bird of prey' highlighting just how rare and vulnerable they are. As a result, they are now included on the government's list of species considered of principal importance for conserving England's wildlife.
The RSPB and Forestry Commission fear that without intensive protection the Northumberland harriers could be at risk of being shot or their nest, eggs and chicks destroyed. Research has shown that the uplands of England could support up to 200 pairs of nesting harriers, but last year there were only 15 successful nests in England - with the majority in one area of Lancashire. Illegal killing or deliberate disturbance is the main reason that hen harriers are absent from almost all areas of suitable moorland in northern England.
The RSPB has launched a campaign calling for an end to the illegal killing of birds of prey and asking members of the public to support their work to protect birds of prey. For more information click on www.rspb.org.uk/birdsofprey
The Northumberland Harrier Nest Watch is a partnership between the RSPB, and Forestry Commission with support from the Northumberland & Tyneside Bird Club, BBC Wildlife Fund, SITA Trust, Egger UK and Tynedale Council.
Courtesy of RSPB, original article can be found here.