Hen harriers are magnificent birds, known as “skydancers” for their aerobatic courtship displays in spring. They nest on the ground in heather moorland. Their main prey is field voles and meadow pipits, although they will also take red grouse. The latter makes them unpopular on shooting estates, particularly those which make huge profits from driven grouse shooting. They suffer illegal persecution (shooting, poisoning, trapping) and also have nesting attempts disrupted. Other threats include predation by foxes, stoats and crows, and lack of food. In theory, they should benefit from the control of crows and foxes by gamekeepers on driven grouse moors – but they don’t.
Hen harriers ought to be widespread in the UK (the latest science[1] says there should be c2600), but are red listed and in decline. The most recent survey (2010) estimated the UK and Isle of Man population at 662 pairs, a decline of 18% since 2004. 505 pairs were found in Scotland, 59 in Northern Ireland, 57 in Wales, 29 in the Isle of Man and only 12 in England. Things have not improved since– only 3 pairs nested successfully in England in 2016. By comparison, 25 young birds fledged on one Scottish moor alone (Langholm Moor) – this is a moor managed for driven grouse shooting, demonstrating that it is possible for both to thrive.
The RSPB currently has two projects aimed at helping the hen harrier: the Hen Harrier LIFE Project (a five year conservation programme) and Skydancer (a four-year project aimed at raising awareness and promoting the conservation of hen harriers in the north of England).
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has its own Hen Harrier Action Plan for England. This was been developed over 4 years’ hard discussions with the RSPB, Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, Moorland Association, National Gamekeepers Organisation, National Parks UK and led by Natural England. The plan was launched in January 2016; after initially supporting it, the RSPB pulled out in July. Continued persecution of hen harriers on grouse moors led them to conclude that a voluntary approach cannot succeed. They now favour licensing.
There is also an annual Hen Harrier Day (www.henharrierday.org), run by the campaign group Birders Against Wildlife Crime, which aims to raise awareness of the hen harrier’s plight.
Wildlife protection and agriculture are devolved issues, so the situation in Scotland differs from that in England. There are many more hen harriers north of the border – but mostly in the north and west, where the moors are not managed for driven grouse shooting. In the south & east, where they are, hen harriers are scarce and persecuted. The Scottish Government has brought in an offence of vicarious liability, making the landowner responsible for the criminal actions of his or her employees. It has also initiated a review of raptor satellite tag data which is expected to report in March 2017. Finally, the Scottish Parliament has a Species Champion initiative, under which Members of the Scottish Parliament commit to lending political support to the protection of Scotland’s threatened wildlife by becoming ‘Species Champions’. There are 59 species champions from all parties, covering insects, amphibians, birds and mammals, trees, shellfish and one spider; the hen harrier’s champion is Mairi Evans (Angus North & Mearns).
Earlier this year, Mark Avery (the RSPB’s former Conservation Director, now an independent writer, blogger and environmental campaigner) started a petition to the Government to ban driven grouse shooting -not all grouse shooting, just the most intensive, environmentally damaging type. This surpassed the magic 100,000 signatures needed to trigger a Parliamentary debate (declaration of interest – I was one of the 123,077 signatories). This debate took place on 31 October and was a severe disappointment to bird lovers.
Steve Double MP was tasked with introducing the debate; he did so by mainly making arguments in favour of grouse shooting. Apparently this is permitted but it seems rather odd to introduce a debate on a petition brought by voters by arguing against it. This was followed by contributions from 17 MPs, 15 in favour of grouse shooting, 2 supporting action falling short of a ban (licensing or wider introduction of an offence of vicarious liability), then statements by an Opposition spokesperson and a Government minister. The 15 pro-shooting interventions made very similar points, an indication that the shooting industry had actively briefed them all. The minister’s speech basically amounted to “no change”.
Hen harriers were barely mentioned. Much was made of the contribution of grouse shooting (albeit subsidised by the taxpayer ) to the local economy. However the wider cost to society due to the contribution of grouse moor management to climate change and flooding was ignored. One MP even had the temerity to upbraid Caroline Lucas for her “complete and utter obsession with climate change” on which he claimed the “science is not settled”. Much was made of the number and variety of breeding birds on the moors; several made specific mention of the merlin, hardly comparable to the hen harrier as it’s an insect eater and unlikely to come into conflict with gamekeepers.
Since then, the death of yet another satellite tagged hen harrier, Rowan, has been reported , probably caused by shooting. Rowan was one of the 25 fledged in Langholm this year; he was found in Cumbria, in the new part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Other instances of hen harrier persecution in 2016 include four others (Brian, Highlander, Elwood and Chance) who have disappeared, satellite tag and all. Annie was found shot on a grouse moor in south Lanarkshire. And illegal traps have been found on two shooting estates where hen harriers had been seen hunting – three pole traps on the Mossdale Estate in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and a spring trap containing a hen harrier on the Moy Estate in Scotland. Happily the latter was still alive.
So what can we do? Some suggestions from me:
- Support hen harrier projects and Hen Harrier Day (perhaps a group trip to our nearest event in 2017?).
- If in the northwest, seek out Bowland Brewery’s Hen Harrier beer – some of the profits go to hen harrier conservation. You can also buy it online.
- Keep an eye out for future initiatives by Mark Avery and the RSPB.
- Write to Defra demanding that they take wildlife crime more seriously (see the thoughts of Guy Shorrock of the RSPB’s Investigations Team here http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/ourwork/skydancer/b/skydancer/archive/2016/11/09/a-hen-harrier-named-rowan.aspx).
- Buy a LUSH Skydancer bath bomb for a loved one – this donates money for more satellite tags.
- Keep up with the latest news from Mark Avery and Raptor Persecution UK
[1] JNCC Report No. 441, “A Conservation Framework for Hen Harriers in the United Kingdom”, Alan Fielding, Paul Haworth, Phil Whitfield, David McLeod and Helen Riley, February 2011