Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus)

I only took this photo as an instinctive reaction when a single bird among a flock of gulls struck me as being a little darker than expected.

It was a full 24hrs before I casually downloaded the days photos and realised it as a Hen Harrier, one of the UK's rarest birds of prey. Driven to extinction in mainland Britain in the 19th century, since recolonising England in the 1960s they have remained rare due to illegal persecution and disturbance, particularly on grouse moors where some gamekeepers view them as a threat to their grouse stocks. This species is strictly protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and The Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 and are included on the Red List of UK birds of conservation concern. However, since killings tend to occur away from public view, prosecutions for their slaughter are few.

However, even though as recently as 2013 there were no breeding pairs in the UK, 54 nests were recorded in 2023 with 141 chicks successfully fledged, so progress is hopefully being made.

The winter population is sometimes boosted by immigrants from northern & central Europe, the total population reaching no more than 750 birds in the best years, which puts into perspective how fortunate this sighting was.

The Hen harrier male is distinctive, being silver-grey on top and white underneath, with a white rump and black wingtips. Females like this individual are dark brown with lighter markings on the wing and have a long grey-brown tail with dark bands from which the description 'ringtail' derives. They too have a white rump.

Hen harriers live in open areas with low vegetation, feeding on small birds and mammals such as Meadow Pipits and voles, but are known to tackle species up to the size of hares and gamebirds. The summer breeding season is spent in upland areas such as heather moorlands and young conifer plantations. In winter they move to lowland marshes, fenland, farmland and coastal regions.

Hen harriers arrive back on their breeding grounds in March or April and the males soon begin to indulge in spectacularly aerobatic display in order to attract a female and for this reason they sometimes go by the description 'Skydancers',

Long may they continue to do so.