Marsh harriers breed in Cheshire for the first time

3 healthy chicks were fledged from the nest. Credit Cheshire Wildlife Trust.

The news of the marsh harrier's successful breeding in Cheshire has been kept under wraps to ensure they were not disturbed during the nesting season. However Cheshire Wildlife Trust, who are working on their region's first ‘Living Landscape' project close to where the harriers made their summer home, have revealed that the marsh harriers successfully raised three chicks, which all left the nest in mid-August.

360 breeding pairs in the UK
With around 360 breeding pairs in the UK, and these mostly confined to the east coast, the arrival of the harriers has been warmly welcomed. To date, the only other recorded west coast breeding of marsh harriers has been in Lancashire and the Scilly Isles off the coast of Cornwall.

Female Marsh harrier - Credit Dave Newby. The Marsh Harrier almost died out as a British breeding species, but has recovered since the 1960s and changed its behaviour along the way, many now nesting in farmland. The marsh harrier features on the ‘Amber' list of Birds of Conservation Concern in the UK. They feed on small creatures, almost exclusively at ground level and often target easily caught prey. In the UK, they breed in large areas of reedbed, such as those found in East Anglia, Lincolnshire and at Leighton Moss in Lancashire. The marsh harrier is around half a metre in length with a wingspan of 1.2 metres.

The harriers were initially discovered by local ornithologist Pete Burton in May, and further observations by Cheshire Wildlife Trust chairman and ornithologist Prof. David Norman confirmed that breeding was indeed taking place, including regular sightings of the male carrying food to an apparent nest area.

3 healthy chicks
In early July under a special licence, a team including Mr Burton, Prof. Norman and bird-nesting expert Richard Castell used traditional field techniques and the more modern technology of the mobile phone to exactly locate the nest - where three healthy 10-day old chicks were found.

Migrate south of the Sahara
As a summer migrant, the adults and young harriers will now make their way south beyond the Sahara in Africa, with the youngsters not likely to return to the UK until they are three years old.

Richard Gardner, Cheshire Wildlife Trust's Living Landscape Manager said: ‘It's extremely exciting news to have marsh harriers nesting in Cheshire for the first time, and shows the importance of the Gowy & Mersey Washlands and the Mersey estuary for some of our rarest wildlife. As a species that relies on wetland habitats such as reedbeds, the arrival of the harriers demonstrates the clear need for us to ensure we protect the wider habitats along our rivers and estuaries, especially with the increasing pressures of development and climate change'.

It is hoped that the adult harriers may return next year, and with marsh harriers passing through the region during their migration it is thought the successful breeding pair may attract others to the area in the future. Although traditionally a summer migrant, changes in the climate had led to increasing numbers of marsh harriers over-wintering in the UK.

Marsh harriers have been seen during the summer at Cheshire Wildlife Trust's nature reserve at Gowy Meadows near Ellesmere Port, and whilst the nesting location will remain a secret, regular summer sightings of harriers can be enjoyed at the RSPB's Leighton Moss reserve in Lancashire.

Male Marsh Harrier. Credit Dave Newby.