Protecting Hen Harriers in Northern England through purchasing Satellite tags

The Hen Harrier is an iconic bird which graces our sky across the UK, particularly in Northern England ,which has perfect habitat. Unfortunately, it struggles to maintain a healthy population and its survival particularly on the driven grouse moors of England and Scotland, is at stake. In the UK, it is one of our most persecuted birds of prey.

The male hen harrier is famous for its iconic “sky dance”, and witnessing it is a rare but fabulous experience. It’s a shame so few people get to see this amazing bird in action and we urgently need to protect it from persecution. It cannot be allowed to disappear from our skies. Without help, every indication is that this beautiful bird will not be there for future generations to enjoy.

England could easily support over 300 pairs but over the last few years only circa 10% of that figure have been able to thrive and survive.

Nesting success, particularly at RSPB Geltsdale, is fraught with challenges.

Last year at RSPB Geltsdale, after initial unexplained failures, and despite huge efforts by staff and volunteers, only one nest was successful and saw young happily fledge. More nests should have succeeded, and the future survival of young chicks should be much higher. We have limited information on the reason around the lack of success of nesting, which makes the protection of this bird very challenging.

Satellite tags are critical for tracking the movements of the birds year-round and give a valuable data insight into their behaviour.

Most importantly tags also give locations when hen harriers sadly go missing, which unfortunately happens too often. This is incredibly important in the fight against persecution, which tragically in some areas is still rife.

The tags are expensive and cost around £4,000 to buy and manage over a 2-year period.

The aim of this fundraiser is to raise money to acquire as many tags as possible for both this year and future years to come. These tags would be specifically used for Northern England (a prime area of persecution) in the first instance, but hopefully with a good level of support this can be extended to other regions.

The last couple of years have seen a small positive increase in nesting success and we need to capitalize on this progress to ensure a stronger population develops, with the added protection of satellite tags.

The Hen Harrier needs your help, so please give generously to support this appeal.

All funds raised through this appeal will only be directed towards the purchase and management of satellite tags for Hen Harriers.

Many thanks for your support