Update

It has been a turbulent and anxious time on the North Tynedale site over the past few weeks. I’ve been working flat out with some dedicated volunteer wardens, keeping a close eye on the hen harriers and trying to interpret their behaviour and predict their next moves...

Where do I begin?

Rewind to 17 March. As noted in a previous blog, this was when our male hen harrier began skydancing. A few days later he successfully pulled in a mate. She even enjoyed a few skydances herself and generally things were getting pretty steamy between the pair. Since the beginning of April, they have been copulating, and nest building seemed imminent.

Nesting

Our male hen harrier was encouraging the female by picking up sprigs of heather and randomly dropping them. He also tried to lead her into his preferred nesting spot. She mostly ignored him or course. Perhaps she didn't like the view.

This is a critical time because when the female hen harrier is ready, she can very quickly build a nest and lay her first egg. Last year she did this all within an afternoon.

Now, supposing this happens out of view of our observation points, or, say, I am stranded in the Northumberland countryside next to a broken down car (frustrating, but as far as 'places to wait for the AA' go, a sunny field full of curlews and lapwings was not bad). Well, the point is, it would be easy to miss our girl setting up home.

In the run up to Easter weekend, it looked as if our birds may have had a nest. The female was springing out of the heather when the male returned with prey, and there was a lot of activity centred on one area of the site.

Our female hen harrier is very vocal and she has been calling incessantly to the male until he passes her (in mid-flight) the vole or meadow pipit he's just caught. Her begging calls are urgent - particularly so when he returns from a hunt empty handed (taloned?). He gets an ear load off her then.

So it was all looking pretty good. The team of nest watchers were mobilised and we were more or less ready. CCTV cameras, observation unit and flasks of tea at the ready.

It was, you might say, a perfect example of how a hen harrier courts and breeds.

And then, on Easter Sunday, it all went very quiet on the North Tynedale moors...