Chicks from the nest have been ringed and fitted with small satellite trackers under the RSPB and European Commission funded ‘Hen Harrier LIFE+’ project. The tags monitor the birds’ movements as they leave the nest and grow into adults so we are be able to track them wherever they go, and hopefully see them return to breed successfully in the Peak District again. You can follow the young hen harriers’ movements via social media and the RSPB LIFE+ project’s internet site.
Update September 2018:
There was great delight and optimism when the young fledged their nest in August. Sadly this was short lived, as just a few days weeks later the RSPB told us the satellite tag Octavia was wearing had suddenly and inexplicably stopped transmitting. Her last known location showed she had moved to an area of privately-owned land which is managed for driven grouse shooting, and despite people searching, no sign of it or her have been found. Octavia’s disappearance is being investigated by the police, and we are doing everything we can to help with their investigation.
This is a huge disappointment for us. There was a huge collective effort from the Trust and our partners, including our grouse shooting tenant, to see these birds got the start in life their species so badly needs. We’ve shown over the last few years we are more than ready to play our part in restoring the fortunes of one of Britain’s most spectacular and rare birds of prey. As part of that we are trying to help show that grouse shooting can be compatible with healthy bird of prey populations. To sustain this aim we need results and we believe everyone involved in grouse shooting needs to be on the same page.
Despite this incredibly sad news, 2018 has been a good year for many breeding birds of prey across the High Peak Moors. Thanks to the tireless work of the local raptor monitoring groups and our own volunteers, we know there are have been successful nests for goshawk, peregrine falcons, merlin and buzzard, and the short-eared owl seems to be breeding on the moors in the largest numbers for quite a few years. The remaining chicks’ progress will continue to be monitored via their satellite trackers funded through the ‘Hen Harrier LIFE+’ project, and we very much hope that we might see them return to breed successfully in the Peak District once more.