UK Montagu's Harrier Rears 6 Chicks, Tags 2 for First-Ever Tracking
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 24
UK Montagu's Harrier Rears 6 Chicks, Tags 2 for First-Ever Tracking
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 24
Summary
Six Montagu's harrier chicks fledged from two nests on English farmland, marking the UK's rarest bird of prey's second straight successful breeding season at the same secret site.
Two chicks were fitted with satellite tags for the first time, giving conservationists a way to track juvenile migration routes, time abroad and whether they return to the UK.
RSPB said a single male, known as AU, bred with two females, while fenced nests and close coordination with farmers helped protect the ground nests from foxes and farm operations.
The effort comes after the species was red-listed in 2021; successful nests had fallen from nine in 2011 to none recorded between 2020 and 2024, with earlier harvests adding fresh risk from machinery.