• Bowland's first harrier chicks of 2011

    Jude Lane
    Well, what a week it has been here in Bowland, we have had just one day this week that has felt like ‘spring’, the rest of the week the Bowland fells have been shrouded with cloud and been subject to heavy rain and at the beginning of the week, extremely strong winds. It can’t have been easy out there for our Hen harriers.
    There is lots to report since my last post, with the exciting news being that…

  • North Tynedale: from expectation to hope

    Stephen Temperley

    Plenty of hen harrier sightings but still no pair just about sums it up, I'm afraid. We are now in the last chance saloon for this season. Thanks to a remarkably dedicated cohort of volunteers, on-site monitoring has been both thorough and discreet. We have had at least one watcher covertly monitoring the site for at least a part of every day since mid-February so we haven't missed much, despite the ubiquitous and wearying…

  • First news from Bowland

    Jude Lane

    Hello from the Forest of Bowland for the first time this year!

    Let me start off with a quick introduction. My name is Jude Lane and I am the new RSPB Bowland Project Officer. I started in post in January this year, taking over from Pete Wilson who has been blogging on this site about the harriers in Bowland since 2009 and who worked in the role for 11 years – quite some shoes to fill! 

    So, just in case you have…

  • North Tynedale: Great Expectations

    Stephen Temperley

    Well, the seasons' wheel has turned and here we are again in North Tynedale, Northumberland, still waiting and watching in eager (and, if the truth be told, nervous) anticipation for the establishment of a pair of hen harriers with procreation on their minds. A few dedicated, expert RSPB volunteers and myself monitor the site every day. We watch covertly from high points at least 1 km away from all previous nest locations…