Well the last week has been a hive of activity for the harriers, if not for me, sat watching them. If, like us in Bowland, you enjoyed pretty much unbroken sunshine, you can understand why the hen harriers perhaps decided to take advantage of the good weather.
For over a week they have been sky dancing like mad, sometimes with as many as three birds dancing at the same time! This forms part of their display to prospective mates, and can be done by both sexes, but most often by the males, and most spectacularly too – due to their smaller size than the female, which makes them more agile. In quite a few years now of monitoring breeding hen harriers, I can’t recall such a good year for display.
It really is brilliant to be able to turn 360 degrees and be able to see hen harriers at virtually all points of the compass. The only sad thing is that whilst there’s a party going on on the United Utilities (UU) estate in Bowland, the rest of upland England is virtually a breeding hen harrier desert…
However, not all the birds have been displaying: and this is a good thing, as these birds have been getting down to the serious business of nesting!
Since I last posted, we (that’s the team of RSPB staff & volunteers, and other raptor enthusiasts) have located and confirmed a total of four hen harrier nests on the UU estate. So far, I’m only aware of one other nest in England.
I’m not a great one for predictions, but we’re hopeful there’ll be a further three or four nests over the next week or two. Touch wood – says he, tapping his head!
Pete