Hen Harriers: Conservation

(asked on 18th December 2018) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many hen harrier nests there were on (a) RSPB and (b) non-RSPB reserves in each of the last six years; how many of those nests failed to have any chicks fledge; and what the causes of each of those nest failures were.


Answered by
Thérèse Coffey Portrait
Thérèse Coffey
This question was answered on 7th January 2019

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has primary control over access to two known hen harrier breeding sites: the RSPB reserve at Geltsdale and United Utilities landholding in the Bowland Fells, a special protection area.

Table 1. Breeding data from sites primarily controlled by RSPB

Year

Area

Outcome

Likely reason for failure

2014

Bowland

5 chicks fledged

2014

Bowland

4 chicks fledged

2015

Bowland

Nest failed

Unknown - chicks dead in nest

2015

Bowland

1 chick fledged

2015

Bowland

Nest failed

Male missing

2015

Bowland

Nest failed

Male missing

2015

Bowland

Nest failed

Male missing

2015

Bowland

Nest failed

Predation

2015

Geltsdale

Nest failed

Male missing

2016

Geltsdale

1 chick fledged

2018

Bowland

4 chicks fledged

2018

Bowland

4 chicks fledged

2018

Bowland

5 chicks fledged

Table 2. Breeding data from sites primarily controlled by other bodies

Year

Area

Outcome

Likely Reason for failure

2013

County Durham

Nest failed

Female disappeared/deserted

2013

Northumberland

Nest failed

Abnormal eggs

2014

Cumbria

2 chicks fledged

2014

Peak District

4 chicks fledged

2015

Cumbria

2 chicks fledged

2015

Cumbria

3 chicks fledged

2015

Cumbria

3 chicks fledged

2015

Northumberland

4 chicks fledged

2015

Northumberland

5 chicks fledged

2016

Northumberland

2 chicks fledged

2016

Northumberland

5 chicks fledged

2017

Northumberland

4 chicks fledged

2017

Northumberland

3 chicks fledged

2017

Northumberland

Nest failed

Suspected predation

2017

Northumberland

3 chicks fledged

2017

Northumberland

Nest failed

Likely bad weather - chicks dead in wet nest

2017

Yorkshire Dales

Nest failed

Suspected predation

2017

Yorkshire Dales

Nest failed

Suspected predation

2018

Yorkshire Dales

Nest failed

Desertion

2018

Yorkshire Dales

Nest failed

Desertion

2018

Northumberland

Nest failed

Predation

2018

Northumberland

Nest failed

Predation or deserted

2018

Northumberland

Nest failed

Predated

2018

Northumberland

4 chicks fledged

2018

Northumberland

5 chicks fledged

2018

Northumberland

2 chicks fledged

2018

Cumbria

2 chicks fledged

2018

Cumbria

4 chicks fledged

2018

Yorkshire

4 chicks fledged

Reticulating Splines