Skydancer - England's hen harriers

Family fun at Newton Rigg

Blánaid Denman — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:23:00 GMT

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!

Ferocious predators

Jude Lane — Thu, 09 May 2013 15:50:00 GMT

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!

New Scottish initiative to record harriers

Blánaid Denman — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:24:36 GMT

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.

Hopes

Connie — Wed, 01 May 2013 09:59:45 GMT

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!

Emotional roller coaster!

Jude Lane — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:32:00 GMT

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 24^th 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!

Now is the Time?

Stephen Temperley — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:51:20 GMT

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

Spring thaw at Geltsdale

pete howard — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 08:56:14 GMT

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 12^th 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.

First news from the Forest of Bowland

Jude Lane — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:24:00 GMT

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.

North Tynedale in Suspended Animation

Stephen Temperley — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:01:38 GMT

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.

Spring has come unsprung at Geltsdale

Blánaid Denman — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 08:00:00 GMT

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

Fancy knitting a hen harrier?

Blánaid Denman — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 15:17:22 GMT

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

Hen harriers over the Geltsdale hills

Blánaid Denman — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 10:06:00 GMT

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!

North Tynedale: Glad to be Back

Blánaid Denman — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 12:27:42 GMT

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.

Seen a harrier? ... Give us a call!

Jude Lane — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:53:00 GMT

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)

Betty's Story - on BBC iPlayer

Blánaid Denman — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 11:26:30 GMT

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".