I saw lots of hailstones on the fell yesterday but not many harriers. No harriers in fact. In fact I’ve not seen a harrier all year.
Now I should point out that I am not on the hill every day like Mick (Bowland Assistant Warden) but even Mick hasn't seen many. If this were a typical year (prior to 2012) I would be seeing harriers (plural) every time I go on the fell.
Sadly, as the weeks tick by we are having to face the ever increasing possibility that for a second successive year there will be no hen harriers breeding in the Forest of Bowland.
That said we are still receiving reports of single birds being seen so there is still chance of a pair settling somewhere and so we will continue to look.
Even so, I’m pretty unhappy about the situation. So are the rest of my team, my RSPB colleagues, my United Utilities colleagues and their shooting tenants. Regardless of whether we get a pair or two breeding in Bowland this year there is no escaping the fact that the Bowland population has essentially dropped off a cliff these last couple of years.
Can we blame the prolonged winter this year? Possibly. However the weather can only be suppressing breeding to this extent because ultimately the English population is so low – a result of illegal persecution (nationally).
Encouragingly it appears we are not the only ones unhappy with this situation. Someone living in (presumably) the AONB is also angry about this situation and has taken it upon themselves to publicise the demise of the Bowland hen harrier population to others living in and visiting the AONB.
Sadly this sign doesn’t depict the true situation, it needs updating (if the mystery sign painter is reading?) but it’s getting across the correct picture and it’s heartening to see that others feel as passionately as I and the organisation do about the plight of this rare and special creature.
It's Monday morning and I'm recovering from a fun, if slightly damp and muddy Sunday at Newton Rigg College's Countryside Day, near Penrith. There was plenty to see and do from all aspects of the countryside from den building to tractor rides, clay pigeon shooting to wildlife gardening, and I was there with an RSPB stall and my trusty hen harrier games and craft activities! A great opportunity to talk to a wide range of people, from students and families just out for the day, to wildfowlers, grouse moor owners, and college staff.
The Feed The Hen Harriers game never fails to attract attention...
The idea is to get the bean bags through the hen harrier's mouth while standing in the hoop... though there was a certain amount of cheating going on...!
A simple but effective moorland habitat display attracted attention and generated some good converations, while several new and interesting species were created through the build-a-bird activity!
After a successful day all round, I've also agreed to run some Skydancer workshops with the College's gamekeeping students in the autumn - something I'm really looking forward to! There are lots of events to come on the Skydancer roadshow so be sure to look out for for us! Next stops - Newcastle Green Festival and Glendale Children's Countryside Day...
We would love to hear your thoughts on the blog and all things Skydancer. To leave a comment, simply register with RSPB Community by clicking on the link at the top righthand corner of the page. Registration is completely free and only takes a moment. Let us know what you think!
Not many harriers about in Bowland I’m afraid to say but there were plenty of these around on the spring bank holiday 'In search of sky dancers' walk.
This is the sun loving green tiger beetle or Cincindela campestris, which tells you something about the weather we enjoyed on the walk!
I’d not seen one before coming to Bowland. Clearly I’d not been looking in the right places as they’re pretty common, you find them on dry sandy soils so they particularly like heath land and dry rocky land rover tracks such as the one up the Langden valley!
These beetles are neat, they are fearsome predators equipped with huge jaws for crushing their smaller invertebrate prey – even their larvae are ferocious, digging pitfall traps in the soil in order to trap their prey! I also love the fact that they are able to move so fast (they are one of our fastest insects) that they become unable to see, meaning that they either have to visually lock onto their prey then catch it in one swift attack or run in really short bursts, stopping to reorient themselves!
So don't forget to look down at your feet every so often when your out and about ... there are some pretty amazing creatures to be found at ground level as well as in the skies!
The Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime (PAW) Scotland, have launched the Heads up for Harriers scheme - their own version of the Hen Harrier Hotline - and are appealing for members of the public to send in their sightings of hen harriers across Scotland. They have said:
As the Partnership for Action against Wildlife Crime (PAW Scotland) we want to stop all crime against wildlife. We are particularly determined to stamp out illegal persecution of birds of prey.
The hen harrier is one of these birds. It is also one of our most alluring raptors - with the male’s skydancing courtship display one of nature’s great sights.
Found mainly across moorland throughout Scotland, numbers were around 500 pairs in 2010. In many areas they are now struggling to breed, or absent. Elsewhere in the UK they are faring even worse. Factors accounting for these changes include land use changes resulting in losses of moorland nesting habitat and feeding range, predation of eggs and young by foxes, crows and other predators, and illegal persecution
To increase our knowledge, we need to know more about the hen harrier’s whereabouts. We are launching a pilot scheme to raise the profile of this special bird, and to help us develop a clearer picture of where harriers occur. We will continue to develop this work in 2014.
Information on where (including 6-figure grid reference) and when the hen harrier was seen, whether it was a male or female, and what behaviours it was exhibiting (eg flying high, skydancing, hunting, carrying nesting material) could be incredibly valuable in helping our Scottish colleagues to keep track of these birds.
You can find more information on the initiative here and records should be emailed to: HenHarrier@snh.gov.uk (it’s not case sensitive), or posted to: Heads up for Harriers, Scottish Natural Heritage, Great Glen House, Leachkin Road, Inverness IV3 8NW.
Two months into my summer contract helping to monitor hen harriers on the Geltsdale reserve, it is hard to imagine a more enjoyable way to spend my working hours. With winter’s icy grip on the uplands loosened and spring struggling through, there is always something to admire. Early morning starts reveal the bubbling spectacle of black grouse strutting their stuff; shrill golden plover mark slow progress across rough moorland terrain, the strange cries of the curlew adding to the feeling of wilderness; the melodious trills of the skylark giving hope to the prospect of warm and sunny days; and the slow return of summer migrants such as whinchats, grasshopper warblers and cuckoo. Above all, every hill scanned, every corner turned, especially when half clothed in a mysterious atmospheric shroud of wispy cloud or mist, offers the possibility of a sight of the elusive hen harrier. As yet, I have had just one sighting of this incredible bird; every day is spent in a state of suppressed excitement, with frequent momentary disappointments when possible sightings turn out to be more mundane buzzards or kestrels. But with the advent of warmer weather my hopes continue unabated that next time it will be the real thing!
The excitement was palpable 10 days ago when I took a call from Mick (the RSPB’s Assistant warden) to say that a food pass had been seen between a male and female harrier on the United Utilities estate. I could almost feel my pulse quicken with excitement, the first food pass in two years, this is it I thought, they’re back and it’s game on!
I shouldn’t have been quite so quick to let my excitement run away with me. Since then we’ve been having regular sightings of both male and female harriers but we’ve yet to see any further indication of any pairing up and settling down in territories. That said, it’s still only the 24th April and given the late spring this year it’s little wonder that these harriers are not fitting to the ‘typical’ timetable we have come to expect from them.
So nothing concrete to pass on to you all yet but you never know what the next day will bring.
I should also add that it’s been great receiving information about hen harrier sightings from local birdwatchers in and around Bowland. Thanks for sharing those with me, it certainly helps us to gauge how many harriers we have in the area.
Remember, if you see a harrier anytime, anyplace we’d really appreciate hearing about it – please give us a call on 0845 4600121. You never know, it may lead to finding a breeding pair in an area currently un-monitored.
Here’s hoping to bring you some good news in the near future!
The wind is still with us, but now from the south and the west. Thus the ambient temperature rises and, as the blanket of snow melts rapidly away, so our hopes rise also. Spring this year will be fleet and frantic, and now that the passerines and waders are back in force, and field voles are once again accessible, now indeed is the time!
It may be mild, but that wind has been gale force for the last few days, suppressing a lot of expected activity. Even so, if there is one bird that can take advantage of such conditions, then that bird is the hen harrier. Its low-level hunting technique, superb flight skills and lightening-fast reactions help it to rely as much on the element of suprise as on its hearing ability or straight-line speed.
North Tynedale has ample foraging ground and the prey to go with it. The site has proved attractive as a breeding location in recent years, with prime tracts of leggy heather. So far as hen harriers are concerned, it has everything going for it. However, while we watch and wait for action, we are also aware that the number of individuals throughout Northumberland is anomalously low, and has been for decades. Under such circumstances, when interest is shown in the site, and evidence of territoriality seen, the chances of male and female meeting up and pairing are diminished. The element of luck simply should not be a factor in the breeding equation but, because of such low numbers and the fact that so little of the suitable breeding grounds of Northumberland are utilised, the birds are more at the mercy of chance than they should be. Still, the frequency of sightings in North Tynedale so far is very encouraging, especially when the adverse weather is taken into account. We can only hope that this year the dice are not loaded against them.
Stephen Temperley, Species Protection Coordinator for Northumberland
So, Spring at long last! The snows have finally relinquished their grip on the fells and, eventually, our early spring migrants have started to return to Geltsdale (albeit up to 3 weeks late). Our first ring ouzel was spotted on 12th April – the latest returnee for many a year. So now wheatears, chiffchaffs, sand martins and swallows also brighten up our days. And last week one of our dedicated volunteers was treated to a very close view of an osprey as it migrated north along the spine of the Pennines. The fells are now alive with meadow pipits, skylarks, curlew and golden plover, and merlins are back on the scene. Yesterday, in near-gale force westerlies, I watched a blue male jink up out of the valley and make a swift feint at a meadow pipit before it was picked up by a violent gust and quite unceremoniously tossed, like a rag puppet, right over the roof of the observation hut I was sitting in! Luckily it quickly regained its composure, and was soon able to fight its way back down to more sheltered terrain.
So what we’d really like now is a pair of spirited and graceful hen harriers. Each day, whatever the weather, staff and volunteers are up on the fells carefully watching all the potential nesting areas round the Reserve. There is definitely a feeling of optimism this year. And so, with excitement and anticipation, we eagerly await the return of breeding harriers to their rightful home here on the Geltsdale moors.
It feels like a while since I last put fingers to keyboard to bring you some news from the United Utilities estate in the Forest of Bowland so now we have reached the end of the first week of April it seems like a good time to give you an update on what’s been going on in this part of the country.
Much like the situation across the other two Skydancer project areas, winter has been reluctant to release its icy grip and the hills have remained frustratingly silent until just last week really. With snow still hanging on in the north facing valleys and strong, biting winds making even a short walk around on the tops a not particularly pleasant experience, it has been of little surprise that there has been very little in terms of bird life back on the fells.
However as if by magic, it seemed like a switch was flicked over night on Friday and Saturday was, what felt to me, the first proper day of spring. Sun shining, not a cloud in the sky and the air alive with meadow pipits and oyster catchers letting everyone know they back – a perfect day for the first Bowland guided walk of the season.
And so it was, Alasdair Grubb (Leighton Moss Assistant Warden and Bowland volunteer) and I set off with an enthusiastic group down the Langden valley in search of skydancing harriers, cautiously optimistic that the fantastic weather would have lured in a bird or two. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be but we did have an excellent walk with good views of male reed buntings, heron, disappearing dippers and the highlight of the day, a pair of peregrines soaring on the spring thermals!
So although we had no hen harrier sightings this weekend we have to remember it is still early, especially given the late spring the whole country is experiencing this year. Our dedicated team of staff and volunteers have been back out on the estate scanning the skies every day since the beginning of March and we’ve certainly had a number of encouraging sightings including a male who came for a look in the first weekend of March and a ringtail skydancing briefly on the 19th. However up until now, there has been no food available to entice harriers to stay, so the return of the pipits is a great relief and we are all feeling positive that we will get harriers breeding back in Bowland again this year ... and as soon as we do you’ll hear about it here!
If you’d like to join us for a guided walk to learn more about skydancers, our partnership work with United Utilities and, most importantly, have the chance of seeing one of these incredible birds, check out the list of available guided walks here.
Across the uplands of Northumberland Spring has not sprung and the land seems locked down. In North Tynedale, only the crossbill and that honorary raptor, the raven, appear impervious to the snow and the ice and the incessant east wind (indeed the crossbills have been seen with juveniles in their loose family groups since the project began at the end of February, the hardy little blighters). I can’t praise our volunteers enough through all of this: their steadfastness and forbearance in the teeth of this brutal weather has been so impressive.
For almost a month now, activity on site has been much suppressed. With this wind chill factor I can hardly remember the last time that the temperature rose above zero. And with the sheer volume of snow up here, that lack of activity is unsurprising. Passerines (small perching birds such as meadow pipts, skylarks and various finches)are as good as absent, while It would appear that the hen harriers have reverted back to winter habits and habitats, and who could blame them? Only very recently, with some warmth in the sun of the first few days of April, have the birds been reinvigorated to show some interest in their upland breeding grounds. First a ringtail was seen briefly on the margins of the North Tynedale site, then on the first of April (no joke) an adult male showed more than a passing interest in the traditional nesting territory, not foraging but first alighting in the heart of the area for 20 minutes, then soaring up over the site, before heading off to the north. A sign of things to come, we fervently hope.
Each day now seems to bring a little more warmth, while the snow cover progressively declines. Spring will soon spring with a flourish of activity. Let us hope that that activity will involve the pairing and breeding of hen harriers in North Tynedale.
Stephen Temperley, Species Protection Coordinator for Northumberland.
Steve Garnet is the Moorland Warden at RSPB's Geltsdale reserve near the Cubria-Northumberland border, an area of prime hen harrier habitat. The last successful nest was in 2006, with persistently few hen harriers ever since, but who knows - could this be the year they make their return...?
So Spring is here! Well, it was ... briefly. A few short weeks ago it seemed that the long wait was at an end and Winter was finally over. Curlew, lapwing and snipe were calling over Stagsike meadow and the black grouse were bubbling away on their lekking sites. Spirits rose and the Geltsdale staff were all itching to get out onto the reserve and experience the excitement of the hills coming back to life. The annual sweepstake to predict the first sightings of ring ouzel and wheatear returning from their wintering grounds was under way and many had put their money on mid March.
Lekking black grouse as the snow begins to fall (c) Mike Richards, rspb-images.com
It’s now nearly April and I’m looking out of the window at a snow covered hillside and needless to say I didn’t win the sweepstake, and so far neither has anyone else. It seems we will have to wait a little longer for the season to get into full swing, but staff are out patrolling the hills regardless of the weather, watching and waiting for the signs of Spring’s return. The rich spectacle of springtime in the hills really does lift the spirits and the soundscape of evocative songs of curlew, golden plover, red grouse and skylark, the drumming of snipe and the simple three note song of the ring ouzel (unless you are lucky enough to hear the complex and beautifully musical full song) for me define the British uplands. This year maybe that picture will be completed with the kekking call and amazing sight of the tumbling aerobatics of skydancing hen harriers.
Roll on Spring ... we’re ready for you!
Steve G
We would love to hear your thoughts on the blog and all things Skydancer. To leave a comment, simply register with RSPB Community by clicking on the link at the top righthand corner of the page. Registration is completely free and only takes a moment. Let us know what you think!
Check out these amazing knitted hen harriers! Inspired by the Skydancer project, enterprising volunteers Fariha and Siobhán picked up their knitting needles and created these fantastic hen harrier hand puppets for our education volunteers to use in primary schools.
The puppets have been a huge hit with the children and Fariha and Siobhán would now like to share their knitting pattern with you in the hope that we can create a whole flock of knitted hen harriers...!
Here’s what Fariha Quraishi, RSPB Volunteer, had to say about it:
“After hearing about the bad year hen harriers had last year, I was inspired to take action. A chat with my fellow RSPB volunteer Siobhán provided a flash of inspiration and we both seized our knitting needles and set about making a pair of hen harrier hand puppets.
It took a few attempts, and a bit of perseverance, but after about a month the puppets were finished and ready for their first sky dancing display. They are now being used as part of the RSPB’s Skydancer project within schools and communities in northern England, raising awareness of hen harriers and promoting their conservation. I’m really happy that I could do something useful when the bad weather kept me indoors.”
So what are you waiting for? Whether you’d like to help us inspire the next generation about these amazing birds by donating a set of puppets to the project, or simply fancy owning your very own pair of skydancing hen harriers, simply download the free pattern and instructions from the skydancer webpage here and get knitting!
We would love you to send us photos of your finished puppets, so we can post them here on the blog! Please email your pictures to blanaid.denman@rspb.org.uk
Despite the ice and snow, it was a glorious day at Geltsdale yesterday. It's been a better winter for roosting hen harriers this year than it has been for a long time, so as the landscape gradually thaws, we're keeping fingers and toes crossed that some stick around to breed.
Just picture it - you're out for a walk, it's a beautiful day and out of the corner of your eye you spot something against the skyline over those hills... you pull out your binoculars, hurriedly twist them into focus and there it is - there's no mistaking it, a skydancing male hen harrier in full flight!
We would love to hear your thoughts on the blog and all things Skydancer. To leave a comment, simply register with RSPB Community by clicking on the link at the top righthand corner of the page. Registration is completely free and only takes a moment. Let us know what you think!
Stephen Temperley returns to Skydancer this month, reprising his role coordinating the North Tynedale hen harrier nest protection project. As the breeding season gets underway in earnest, he has some positive early news...
Greetings from the RSPB Species Protection Coordinator for Northumberland! I'm back in post and happy to inform you that covert monitoring for signs of site interest, territoriality and pairing has already begun. A small number of expert volunteers and myself are once again watching over the sites from the margins, taking care to minimise disturbance by keeping at least 1 km away from key nest locations favoured in the past.
It's exciting to be out and searching again but that wind cuts right through you! The North Tynedale site is an elevated plateau (290-320 m) scored by steep ridges and flowing valleys. Open to the strong easterlies arriving unhindered from the North Sea, it can be difficult to find suitably panoramic viewpoints out of the bitter wind. However, I'm pleased to say that our discomfort has already been well rewarded with hen harrier sightings!
Female hen harrier (c) James Leonard
An adult male almost certainly roosted on site as early as the 1st of March, in the same expanse of leggy heather that the last breeding male (2008) liked to roost in while his partner was on the nest. The same individual, perhaps, drawn back to old haunts? If not it would be quite some coincidence. But very encouraging either way, particularly when a further sighting was reported of (probably) the same grey male appearing briefly out of thick mist a week or so later. This week has yielded two sightings (Tuesday and Thursday) of a very pale adult female, seen both foraging and resting up on site.
Winter numbers across Northumberland have been very much more buoyant than in recent years, which bodes well for the upcoming breeding season. At least we can't do worse than in the last four years, when not a single pair was known to have bred in the county.
So, an auspicious beginning, especially considering the weather over the last few weeks. Like sprinters in the blocks, we are ready and waiting.
If you think you've seen a hen harrier anywhere in the North of England, please let us know by calling the hen harrier hotline on 0845 4600121 (calls charged at local rates) or email henharriers@rspb.org.uk. Information on when and where it was (grid reference is helpful), what it was doing, and what it looked like, will help us to keep track of these birds and identify where they might be nesting.
We would love to hear your thoughts on the blog and all things Skydancer. To leave a comment, simply register with RSPB Community by clicking on the link at the top righthand corner of the page. Registration is completely free and only takes a moment. Let us know what you think!
As spring starts to seep into the uplands of northern England, all of us here at the RSPB would like to make a fresh appeal to those of you who are out and about in the hills over the spring and summer to keep an eye out for hen harriers and to call or email in with your sightings.
After a disastrous breeding season in 2012 the English harrier population really need to have more success in 2013. Whilst we have a team of dedicated staff and volunteers monitoring key areas we aren’t able to cover all of our upland areas so receiving sightings from people like you is extremely useful.
So, if you are lucky enough to make contact with one of these magnificent birds, where ever you are, then get in touch and let us know when, where and a description of its behavior, a six figure grid reference would also be fantastic (but don’t worry if you can’t)
The season is already getting off to an encouraging start with both males and females being seen around our core Skydancer project areas over the last few days and weeks, but where else are they being seen?
Help the RSPB protect hen harriers by calling 08454600121 (charged at a local rate) or email us at henharriers@rspb.org.uk
A female hen harrier - clearly identifiable by the white band of feathers at the base of her tail. Mark Hamblin (rspb-images.com)
If any of you didn't manage to catch it last night or happen to live outside the region, you can now watch Jude Lane talk about the tragedy of Bowland Betty and the issues facing hen harriers in England on Inside Out North East & Cumbria on BBC iPlayer! It's only 8 minutes long but it does a fantastic job of encapsulating the issue, with beautiful hen harrier footage and relevant interviews from Scottish Natural Heritage, the Moorland Association, Natural England, the Northern England Raptor Forum and a local gamekeeper.
Have a look at it and forward the link on - I challenge anyone to watch it and not be moved by the beauty of these birds and the tragedy of their plight. It will only be up for the next week so don't miss it!
On a side note, to see nest camera footage of Bowland Betty and her siblings, just check out the Skydancer home page at www.rspb.org.uk/skydancer for the video "At home with a hen harrier family".
As you’ll remember, back in December, the tragic story of Betty the Bowland hen harrier hit the local and national news. I wrote at the time that I saw Betty as a symbol of hope for harriers, that her death would hopefully help raise the profile of this incredible species and the critical situation it finds itself in. So, it was with great excitement that I heard about another opportunity to publicise the issue which came about after a chance reading of this blog!
On a particularly cold, yet beautiful day back in the beginning of February I was excused from my office duties and spent the best part of the day on the hill with my colleague Tim Melling, the RSPB’s Species Protection Officer and Stephen Murphy from Natural England, filming for the BBC One current affairs programme Inside Out.
The show covers a huge variety of stories from the local area so this is a really great opportunity to bring hen harriers into the homes of many thousands of people, the majority of which have probably never been lucky enough to set foot on a moorland let alone heard of or seen a hen harrier.
Having had no prior experience of ‘media work’ the filming was all quite nerve wracking but with a friendly crew and encouraging words from Tim and Stephen (the pro’s!) it ended up being quite a fun experience – all be it a cold one!
The other contributors to the programme will be representatives from the Moorland Association and the Northern England Raptor Forum.
So here’s the plug, if you’re interested to see the piece then tune into BBC One’s Inside Out North East and Cumbria on Monday night at 7.30pm. If you don’t live in the region then you can watch it on the BBC iPLAYER.
Science and technology play an integral part these days in allowing us to learn more about our native wildlife and in the fight against wildlife crime. The satellite transmitter fitted to ‘our Betty’ as a young chick, is a fantastic example of this. In the first instance we learnt a huge amount about how mobile harriers can be but it also allowed us to recover her body and discover the cause of her death.
A number of monitoring methods are currently being used by scientists and conservationists to learn about the dispersal and survival of hen harriers including radio transmitters, wing tags and leg rings. There are pros and cons for all these methods but what they all have in common is they require the external ‘marking’ of the birds and therefore varying amounts of physical intervention.
DNA tags are potentially a way of monitoring harriers without any physical intervention and could prove an important forensic tool in cases of illegal persecution.
Scientists at the University of Central Lancashire have been working on a method of sexing hen harriers using DNA samples. The recently published research by Henderson et al. has established a way in which the sex of a hen harrier can be identified from a sample of DNA even if it is of poor quality or only available in small amounts, as would often be the case if the body was in a heavily decomposed state.
If you’re interested you can find a link to the abstract here.
The teams' research isn't ending there however. The ability to sex a bird from its DNA is an integral first step in developing the capability to identify individual birds. The team at UCLAN are now working on this next objective which will hopefully prove a useful tool to both conservationists and those investigating wildlife crimes.
Following on from Dan’s inspiring blog of hen harrier sightings a plenty on the Dee over the last few weeks (what a fantastic picture he included!) I just wanted to let you know about the events RSPB and United Utilities* will be running in the Forest of Bowland again this spring/summer.
If you weren't or aren't fortunate enough to get to a Skydancer event at the Dee this year (there’s still one more date to go), why not join us for a guided walk in the Forest of Bowland and see if you can catch a glimpse of this magnificent bird in its breeding habitat? Even though we didn't have any nesting attempts here last year, the Forest of Bowland is still undoubtedly the best place in the country to look out for them during the breeding season.
Have a look at all the dates and get yourselves booked on, in fact, why not make a long weekend of it and join in one or two other events being held as part of the AONB's Festival Bowland? There is so much to see and do in this wonderful pocket of upland England.
We’ll look forward to seeing you!
*with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund
Sunshine - definitely not guaranteed!
We would love to hear your thoughts on the blog and all things Skydancer. To leave a comment, simply register with RSPB Community by clicking on the link at the top righthand corner of the page. Registration is completely free and only takes a moment. Let us know what you think!
This week's blog is brought to you by Dan Trotman, who runs the Skydancer roost watch event at RSPB Dee Estuary reserves. Hen harriers can travel great distances, often to coastal areas, in the winter to escape the harsh upland weather. Many Scottish birds will come south to England, spending time at traditional roost sites in areas like the Dee and across in Eastern England. We don't yet know exactly which birds go where but ongoing research with satellite tagging by Natural England and others is gradually helping us to better understand their movements.
As Blanaid mentioned in her first blog of 2013, the RSPB Dee Estuary reserve is a top wintering site for hen harriers, and since I’ve been leading the monthly Skydancer events at Parkgate, I thought I’d tempt you all with an insight.
For those who don’t know Parkgate, its vast saltmarsh makes up the oldest and wildest part of the Dee Estuary reserve, whilst its ice cream, fish & chips and numerous pubs make it a popular spot with the public. What better place, then, to combine the two and have the Skydancer momentum follow the birds down from their upland breeding grounds.
Blessed with fine weather on the launch weekend in October, we spoke to a couple of hundred people each day and sure enough, got reasonable views of an early-arriving ringtail twisting and turning low over the marsh, plunging suddenly onto a luckless meadow pipit or dawdling field vole.
A month later and we were excited at the regular reports of two grey males on the reserve, a bird I hadn’t seen for almost two years having had none on the Dee last winter. Blanaid joined me for the Skydancer event, though our luck was out and we had to settle yet again for a ringtail hunting mid-afternoon, and two dropping in to their favoured roosting spot as dusk loomed.
With December’s event a near-washout, we returned in January, thrilled by the news of a third grey male, and three ringtails in the area; six Skydancers in total, the highest wintering population on the Dee for several years. Without a doubt the best event yet, on several occasions we watched a ringtail flush flocks of skylark, goldfinch and even teal from the cover of the marsh, at one point even tussling with a short-eared owl over possession of a meaty rat. A cold yet clear day meant a lot of passers-by, many of whom, moved by our tales of the species’ decline, delighted in having the mysterious raptors being pointed out, including in late afternoon, the ghostly figure of a grey male floating by.
Bringing the Skydancer project to the Dee Estuary has allowed us to engage with hundreds of people who otherwise would have remained unaware of the desperate plight of this enchanting bird; the events also inspired nine people to become members of the RSPB to allow us to continue and further our conservation efforts for the hen harrier and beyond. Join us on the first Sunday of February and March, come rain or shine (preferably the latter!) for your chance to share this wonderful experience.
Dan Trotman, RSPB Dee Estuary
We would love to hear your thoughts on the blog and all things Skydancer. To leave a comment, simply register with RSPB Community by clicking on the link at the top righthand corner of the page. Registration is completely free and only takes a moment. Let us know what you think!
