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