In March, I promised (here) to provide an update on the hen harrier breeding season in England.
I genuinely hoped that this mid-season update would mark the beginning of a turnaround in the fortunes of England’s hen harriers, driven by the positive partnership approach set out in Defra’s hen harrier action plan. Unfortunately, the news on the ground suggests this is shaping up to be very poor year for England’s hen harriers, with only a tiny handful of nesting attempts to date.
Image courtesy of Dom Greves
This is obviously not what we were hoping to report. There are three principal factors which could, to varying degrees, explain the small number of nests this year.
And, of course, we know that persecution is the primary reason hen harriers are on the brink in the first place (link). This is one of the reasons why we continue to call for licensing of driven grouse shooting. As our Chairman, Professor Steve Ormerod, wrote recently (here in response to a challenge from my predecessor, Mark Avery) we believe that "a tightening up of regulation, with associated penalties and withdrawal of the opportunity to shoot on all areas if breaches are found, will achieve what we want incrementally".
Perhaps most worrying of all, is anecdotal feedback highlighting a general lack of hen harriers in England (as well as south and east Scotland). It’s not just that hen harriers aren’t breeding successfully, there seems to be a notable absence of birds in many areas where we would expect to see them. This makes it even more important for people to keep their eyes out for hen harriers. Our hen harrier hotline (link) is there to report any sightings.
First reports are also coming in from other areas of the UK through this year’s national hen harrier survey. It’s too early to draw any meaningful conclusions from this, as we are only half way through the survey period. Anecdotally, it does appear that the season got underway later than usual in Scotland, although birds are nonetheless present in areas which are free from a history of persecution.
A run of late nests might help to turn the situation around and it will be illuminating to see how the year plays out in northern England and south and west Scotland, compared with areas further north.
However, I must stress that, while this picture remains incomplete, the signs are not encouraging.
The RSPB (through the dedication of staff and volunteers) will continue to work hard to improve the situation including through the RSPB Hen Harrier Life Project. We also remain committed to Defra’s hen harrier action plan. It would be premature to change tack based on early returns from a late season and it is in everyone’s interest for this plan to succeed. It might yet be that late nests save the day and we’re able to point to positive progress come the end of the season. The suspicious incident with the decoy and the pole trapping case were both disappointing and unhelpful in the extreme. However, the the action plan must deliver results (link) and that means more hen harriers.
I’ll report back in September when we have a complete picture of how the year has gone. Here’s hoping I’ll be able to relay some more positive news at that point. We'll continue to follow progress closely but, in the meantime, I’m looking forward to being at our Saltholme reserve on Sunday 7 August for one of several Hen Harrier Day events across the UK (events will also be held at our Rainham and Arne reserves).
Do check out the Birders Against Wildlife Crime website (link) for your nearest event and please come along to show your support for these magnificent birds. Our hen harriers are missing and we want them back.
Many thanks to all of you for your comments. While I don't agree with all of you, I respect and value your different perspectives.
Yes, it is my job to ensure that we have the best strategy to tackle the many conservation problems that we face: saving sites, recovering threatened species and finding ways for humans to live in harmony alongside the millions of other species on which we share this planet.
Sometimes it takes time to turn things around eg recovery of an individual species. For example, you probably know that marsh harrier was down to 1 pair in the early 1970s. It was a bird that had suffered from persecution and the impact of the use of DDT which led to thin eggshells unable to support the weight of the incubating bird. Today, thanks to the success of the RSPB’s 12 year campaign to ban the use of these pesticides, stronger legal protection, increased effort to tackle illegal killing and years spent restoring and recreating reedbeds, the marsh harrier population is much healthier - up to 380 breeding pairs).
I don't say this to be complacen, simply to say that any strategy we adopt is led by evidence, driven by our charitable mission and informed by the context within which we are working.
And that applies to our approach to improve the environmental condition of the uplands and to tackle ongoing illegal killing of birds of prey.
As our chairman wrote in response to Mark Avery - "We believe fundamentally that grouse shooting practices need to change and we are determined to use the European Commission process [legal action against UK Government for consenting burning on peatland SACs] and DEFRA’s Hen Harrier Action Plan to test the industry’s willingness to tackle bad practice. But, where positive steps are taken, and change occurs, we will welcome them. That will help drive reform and isolate those who behave as if they are not subject to standards set by Parliament."
And yes, I still hope to be in a position to welcome change. But, if not, we shall still, of course, report the results at the end of the breeding season and take stock.
In response to James, I am sorry that you have decided to resign your membership. If you want to support the investigations team directly (which would be much appreciated), you can send a cheque to Supporter Services at The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL with a note saying YOU wish it to be restricted to our Investigations appeal (REF 12-0-073) or call on 01767 693680 (Mon - Fri 9am - 5.15pm) and say the same making payment by credit or debit card. The team can then code it to this appeal. All appeals are restricted and audited as such. If you are a UK tax payer then you would ideally indicate that you wish the donation to be gift aided and we'll confirm the decision in writing. If you have any problems, let me know.