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Monday, 10 December 2007

Hen Harrier nest guarding in Northumberland

The Hen Harrier is a schedule 1 species bird. There are notionally ten nesting pairs in England. The female is a large brown bird with noticeable white rump; the male is slightly smaller and a slate grey colour with extensive black wing tips.


I had put my name down originally to undertake volunteer wardening of the Hen Harrier nest following our trip to RSPB Geltsdale last September.
I had a few phone calls from the Hen Harrier warden there in June keeping me informed but, unfortunately, there was no nest to protect this year. My name was passed on and I received a phone call from an RSPB warden, Phil Curtis, who was seeking volunteers to protect a nest of Hen Harriers in Northumberland. I agreed to join the 24 hour rota and put my name down to cover four 6-hour weekend slots throughout June and July.
I was given a full briefing by e-mail as to how to access the site, the role of the warden, actions to be taken in case of disturbance or an "incident" and logging any sightings of the harriers to/from the nest area. We also had to sport fluorescent jackets as proof of identity if walkers or birders approached too near the nest.
My first visit was a Sunday afternoon in mid June (14.00 - 20.00) and I was accompanied by Steve Humble. We had a handover from Ken who had been there since 8.00 a.m. The site was very remote but picturesque and our work really involved sitting in a comfortable little hollow below the skyline, sheltered from the wind, about 200 metres from the nest, logging the harrier movements and watching for any possible disturbance.
We were enthralled to see the first food pass between the parents: the female flew out from the nest and the male approached from the north and passed the food to the female in mid-air: quite spectacular. We also had good sightings of the male quartering the dark green heather on the hill opposite us. We also spied Peregrine Falcon which were also nesting nearby. Fortunately, the midges were not too prevalent and the first few hours seemed to fly by. We were a bit unnerved by the female lifting from the nest and chittering but there was no obvious sign of disturbance.
We were relieved at 20.00 by the RSPB warden who was going to do the night shift which, we found out, involved sleeping in a small camouflaged tent beneath the nest and making regular 2 hourly patrols by torchlight. The nest was also protected with electronic wizardry.
I was supported on subsequent stints by my good friend Emma Anderson, who lives in Otterburn, and Steve. We were kept informed of progress reports by email: six eggs....five chicks... juveniles had been wing-tagged....youngsters fledged (hooray !).
The weather on some visits was variable with heavy showers and even dense fog. In such conditions we would take refuge in a small Forestry Commission portacabin. The result of our combined labour was the successful fledging of five young Hen Harriers which left the nest at the end of July.
Apart from the long stints, which could perhaps be more realistically pruned to four hours, this was a very worthwhile and enjoyable experience which I would commend to fellow members. Finally, I tender my thanks to Emma and Steve for their patience and entertainment during our shifts.

Harold Dobson