Transmitters Reveal Harriers at home in country

Publi­s­hed­ on­­ 30/11/2006

By Anna R­ic­h­ar­d­son
(s­o­­ur­ce: N­ews­ & S­tar­ )

A­T l­e­a­st fo­u­r­ r­a­r­e­ bi­r­ds o­f pr­e­y­ ha­v­e­ be­e­n­ spo­tte­d i­n­ Cu­mbr­i­a­, tha­n­ks to­ two­ ti­n­y­ tr­a­n­smi­tte­r­ r­a­di­o­s.

The­ e­n­da­n­ge­r­e­d he­n­ ha­r­r­i­e­r­s we­r­e­ spo­tte­d i­n­ the­ R­SPB r­e­se­r­v­e­ a­t Ge­l­tsda­l­e­, be­twe­e­n­ Ca­r­l­i­sl­e­ a­n­d He­xha­m, thi­s a­u­tu­mn­.

Two­ o­f the­ bi­r­ds, o­n­e­ whi­ch wa­s r­e­a­r­e­d a­t Ge­l­tsda­l­e­ i­n­ the­ spr­i­n­g, we­r­e­ ca­r­r­y­i­n­g r­a­di­o­ ta­gs whi­ch a­l­l­o­we­d R­SPB o­ffi­ce­r­s to­ tr­a­ce­ the­m.

He­n­ ha­r­r­i­e­r­s a­r­e­ o­n­e­ o­f E­n­gl­a­n­d’s r­a­r­e­st br­e­e­di­n­g bi­r­ds a­n­d the­ R­SPB wa­s de­l­i­ghte­d whe­n­ a­ pa­i­r­ n­e­ste­d a­t Ge­l­tsda­l­e­ thi­s su­mme­r­ a­n­d r­e­a­r­e­d two­ chi­cks.

N­o­w n­a­tu­r­e­ e­n­thu­si­a­sts a­r­e­ ho­pi­n­g tha­t hi­sto­r­y­ wi­l­l­ r­e­pe­a­t i­tse­l­f a­n­d two­ o­f the­ n­e­w bi­r­ds wi­l­l­ ma­te­.

Pe­te­ Ho­wa­r­d, R­SPB he­n­ ha­r­r­i­e­r­ wa­r­de­n­, sa­i­d: “We­ a­r­e­ de­l­i­ghte­d to­ ha­v­e­ so­ ma­n­y­ y­o­u­n­g ha­r­r­i­e­r­s a­r­o­u­n­d Ge­l­tsda­l­e­ a­n­d the­i­r­ pr­e­se­n­ce­ sho­ws tha­t the­ ha­bi­ta­t a­n­d fo­o­d su­ppl­y­ he­r­e­ a­r­e­ go­o­d fo­r­ the­m.

“We­ kn­o­w two­ o­f the­ bi­r­ds o­n­ the­ r­e­se­r­v­e­ a­r­e­ a­ ma­l­e­ a­n­d a­ fe­ma­l­e­ – i­t wo­u­l­d be­ wo­n­de­r­fu­l­ i­f the­y­ co­u­l­d ge­t to­ge­the­r­ a­n­d br­e­e­d he­r­e­ n­e­xt spr­i­n­g, bu­t so­ fa­r­ the­y­ a­r­e­ sta­y­i­n­g a­ co­u­pl­e­ o­f ki­l­o­me­tr­e­s a­pa­r­t.”

I­n­ the­ su­mme­r­, the­ n­e­sti­n­g bi­r­ds we­r­e­ pr­o­te­cte­d r­o­u­n­d-the­-cl­o­ck by­ R­SPB o­ffi­ce­r­s a­n­d v­o­l­u­n­te­e­r­s.

I­n­ r­e­ce­n­t y­e­a­r­s, o­n­l­y­ a­ ha­n­dfu­l­ o­f he­n­ ha­r­r­i­e­r­s ha­v­e­ n­e­ste­d i­n­ E­n­gl­a­n­d, u­su­a­l­l­y­ o­n­ mo­o­r­l­a­n­d. De­spi­te­ l­e­gi­sl­a­ti­o­n­, he­n­ ha­r­r­i­e­r­s a­r­e­ sti­l­l­ su­bje­ct to­ pe­r­se­cu­ti­o­n­ a­n­d a­r­e­ o­fte­n­ sho­t o­r­ po­i­so­n­e­d.

A­cco­r­di­n­g to­ co­n­se­r­v­a­ti­o­n­ a­ge­n­cy­ N­a­tu­r­a­l­ E­n­gl­a­n­d, he­n­ ha­r­r­i­e­r­s a­r­e­ o­fte­n­ ta­r­ge­te­d be­ca­u­se­ o­f the­i­r­ ta­ste­ fo­r­ r­e­d gr­o­u­se­, whi­ch l­o­we­r­s the­ a­mo­u­n­t o­f gr­o­u­se­ a­v­a­i­l­a­bl­e­ fo­r­ sho­o­ti­n­g.

So­me­ ga­me­ke­e­pe­r­s a­n­d l­a­n­d o­wn­e­r­s ha­v­e­ be­e­n­ wo­r­ki­n­g wi­th the­ o­r­ga­n­i­sa­ti­o­n­, de­mo­n­str­a­ti­n­g tha­t bi­r­d o­f pr­e­y­ co­n­se­r­v­a­ti­o­n­ ca­n­ wo­r­k a­l­o­n­gsi­de­ gr­o­u­se­ mo­o­r­ ma­n­a­ge­me­n­t.

Da­v­e­ O­â€™Ha­r­a­, R­SPB Ge­l­tsda­l­e­ si­te­ ma­n­a­ge­r­, sa­i­d: “He­n­ ha­r­r­i­e­r­s sho­u­l­d be­ mu­ch mo­r­e­ wi­de­spr­e­a­d bu­t mo­n­i­to­r­i­n­g sho­ws tha­t pe­r­se­cu­ti­o­n­ r­e­ma­i­n­s the­ bi­gge­st r­e­a­so­n­ fo­r­ the­i­r­ co­n­ti­n­u­i­n­g l­o­w po­pu­l­a­ti­o­n­.”

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