Wildlife teams celebrate success at Northern nature reserve

This year’s breeding season for endangered hen harriers at an upland nature reserve has been the most successful for 30 years.

RSPB staff and volunteers worked around the clock at the Geltsdale reserve on the border of Northumberland and Cumbria to monitor the nests. Teams worked in shifts, concealing themselves a safe distance away and watching the nests with thermal binoculars at night to ensure the birds were not disturbed.

Eight hen harrier chicks have fledged at the RSPB nature reserve this year. Two pairs of hen harriers each produced four chicks. One of the pairs, including a satellite-tagged female, also bred in 2023.

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The RSPB are monitoring a pair of youngsters, known as Gill and Wardrew, with satellite tags, to learn about where they roam and to keep track of their development.

Mike Shurmer, RSPB England’s head of species, said: “It is wonderful news that we have seen record numbers of hen harrier chicks fledge at Geltsdale, and this is testament to the continuing efforts of our dedicated staff and volunteers on the reserve.

“With the numbers of hen harriers continuing to remain far below where we would expect healthy populations of these birds to be in England, seeing a good number of young fledge at Geltsdale this year gives us hope for the coming years at the reserve and beyond.”

This year’s season is also the first time since 2006 that a mature grey male has successfully reproduced at the reserve. While younger males, also known as ‘ringtails’, have brown feathers similar to that of females, older males who are a pale grey colour, stand out in the landscape, making them an easy target for illegal killing. Many hen harriers do not survive to maturity.

According to Natural England data, hen harriers are one of the most vulnerable birds of prey in the UK, subject to intense persecution associated with grouse shooting in the English uplands.

In 2023, across the UK a total of 34 hen harriers suspiciously disappeared or were confirmed to have been persecuted, including 29 satellite-tagged and five untagged birds. These figures are likely to under-represent the true scale of persecution.