Six Hen harrier chicks hatch in Northumberland.
Updates
4th June. Smallest chick dies. The RSPB have reported that the smallest chick has died, a common occurence when this many eggs hatch.
June 2008. 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 have revealed.
The first of the six eggs laid by the female harrier hatched
on 15 May but the last chick only emerged on Friday. 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 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."
Skydance
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 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
30 volunteers watching the nest
The pair is one of only a handful known to be nesting in England this year, and more than 30 enthusiastic volunteers are helping to watch over the precious eggs. Members of the nest watch team are on standby day and night alongside RSPB officers and Forestry Commission rangers to safeguard the nest.
2007 - 5 chicks fledged
Last year a pair of hen harriers successfully raised five chicks at a nest in Tynedale, thanks to a 24-hr guard that safeguarded the birds from disturbance. The RSPB and Forestry Commission believe the same birds have returned to the area this spring.
Persecution
The RSPB and Forestry Commission fear that without intensive protection the harriers would be at risk of being shot or their nest and eggs 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 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.
