Hen Harrier Diaries: Entry No. 4

Saturday saw 5 different sites covered.

It was more like a winter Roost watch at one of the sites as the hailstones and snow came falling down. The resident male and female rested up in the white blizzard and waited until it abated. To fly around and get unduly wet would hinder their flight. When the weather dried up, it became lovely and sunny, with blue skies above. The pair flew around together closely, touching wings and landed together. This is behaviour that suggests they will nest very close by.

However, things aren't always so straightforward! A second male visited the pair in their peaceful Valley and the three flew around together. Does the female have a decision to make?
It may well be that the second male was from a neighbouring territory where his own female has not been seen, we are getting anxious that this territory which has been watched from as far back as 1955 may be vacant/become extinct. However we still hold out and will continue observations there.
Elsewhere at another traditional site there has also been anxious moments during previous watches, the female from this pair also was nowhere to be seen, thankfully Saturday this all changed with both male and Female present, they collaborated to oust two Ravens out of their territory, with the Male sky dancing in a territorial display to show the Raven's who the boss was , the female relentlessly harassed the Ravens until eventually they had enough and left the Harriers territory, hopefully the pair can soon settle down concentrate on their breeding attempt.

Also checked on Saturday was a site that previously had four Harriers present, and it was great to have all four birds still present on Saturday. The two males have really raised their game, with one enthusiastic male soaring in fierce shower of hailstone in an attempt to impress of the female's, the other male also did his very best to impress the females, with his excellent hunting skills, hunting in heavy snow and hail, all this activity from the males appeared to impress the females with both of them checking out potential nesting sites, hopefully they will soon pair off.

 The fifth site checked Saturday didn't have a successful breeding attempt last year, but there are encouraging signs so far this year, with birds present on both occasions the site was checked, Saturday we had two males circling each other, checking each other out and saying hello, next time let's hope there is a female present and that she settles down with one of the males.

Stay tuned for further updates.
Thank you,
Hen Harrier Ireland

Hen Harrier Diaries: Entry No. 3

Hen Harrier Diaries: Entry No 3

The spectacular Hen Harrier breeding season was in full flow again today. The warm air and gentle breeze helped the birds soar to astonishing heights. Two traditional breeding sites in Kerry were checked today.

One of the breeding sites checked today is very special, it is the birth place of a very special bird 'Heather'. Today's watch was similar to a previous watch from Entry 1, for 2 hrs there was nothing seen just as the watch was about to ...come to a conclusion a Hooded Crow alerted me to the females presence, he scrambled over a kilometre to confront the on rushing female, he soon gave up his quest when he realised the enormous size of this female, she gracefully went about her business gliding elegantly towards her awaiting male companion, on her arrival the excited male immediately set off in a sky dance reaching 80 peaks, the female then decide to take to the sky's herself, taking full advantage of the warm thermals soaring to extreme heights, it was an immensely enjoyable way to spend 2.5 hours.

The second site checked today had been one of the most productive nesting sites over the last number of year's. The Male at this site gave an excellent display of sky dancing reaching 110 peaks, his Female counterpart did not show herself today, but there was encouraging signs that she was not too far away, the Male sky danced directly over a bunch of willow and returned several time and perched on the willow maybe signaling the Female was present , hopefully she will reveal herself next time.
Stay tuned for various updates over the coming days.

Thank you Hen Harrier Ireland

Hen Harrier Diaries: Entry No. 2

Today saw the Hen Harrier season well and truly get off the mark with the first food pass witnessed for 2016. This stage of the season is arguably one of the most important of all. The body condition of the females will determine how many eggs they will lay in about a months time. If the female is not receiving much food, physiology will lessen the number of eggs – maybe only 3-4 eggs. If she is receiving good quantities (and quality) of food, she might lay 5 or 6 eggs. This is a natural adaptation that follows good logic – no point in trying to rear many chicks if the signs are that food is low, but if food is high then it would be worth capitalising on this and laying more eggs in the hope of rearing more chicks.

The Hen Harrier’s food pass is one of the finest spectacles in all of nature. The male will come in with the food, often holding it low in one leg so that it is clearly visible to his mate. There will be some communication between the male and female and she will rise up underneath him in the sky, turn over and he will drop the food for her to catch in her talons while upside down! She will then take the food and eat if for herself or take it to the nest when she has chicks. It is an acrobatic feat that is unrivalled, though two trapeze artists perfectly moving in synchrony to meet one another is one way of describing what it is like (only better!!).

So we saw that today at one site, which was wonderful. We are now off the mark.

Elsewhere, at another site we had a male sky dancing to see off a hooded crow. It is popularly considered that the Hen Harrier’s sky dance (see Hen Harrier Diaries Entry No. 1 or the video on www.henharrierireland.blogspot.ie) is to show off to potential suitors, but it is likely to also be a territorial display to show other birds (including other male harriers and possible trouble like crows) that the male is strong and agile and this is his turf! The sky dance of the male today made an absolute fool of the hooded crow. He was bamboozled by the agility of the male harrier and after a while did not know which way was up, as the male soared above him and dived below him so many times. He simply could not keep up with the Hen Harrier. However, he did persist in trying to attack the harrier for 15 minutes straight before finally giving up and leaving. The male’s mate then appeared and soared for some time high in the sky. The crows of course have not gone away and there may be more to come from them as the season progresses. They are often a lot of trouble for Hen Harriers as they attempt to go about their business and can take the harrier’s eggs and chicks also.

3 traditional sites that were checked today showed no signs of Hen Harriers. This has become too common an occurrence. We will continue to monitor these sites in the hope that Hen Harriers might some how show up.

As the evening drew to a close, we were lucky enough to be treated to the sight of four Hen Harriers together at one sight. Hopefully these four will progress to be two pairs (there has traditionally been two pairs in the locality). Lots of soaring high in the sky was witnessed. One of the males was carrying food but did not pass it to any female. This may have been in an attempt to hardwire into the female’s minds that this male, above the other male, is the guy that carries food. Treat them mean and keep them keen?!

One of the females perched on a turf heap for 40 minutes and was surprisingly buzzed by a male Merlin! Merlins are Ireland’s smallest bird of prey and share similar habitats to Hen Harriers with heather moorland being the preferred environment. Wonderful birds to see.
Another wonderful bird to see in this environment is the Curlew and we had our first of the season today at the same site. These birds have become very rare. Like Hen Harriers, their decline is indicating a malaise in the upland environment; particularly due to afforestation, predation and agricultural intensification.

If you have any Hen Harrier sightings or records this spring/summer, we would be delighted to hear from you – but please do not publically disclose locations.

Keep in touch and watch out for the next instalment of the Hen Harrier Diaries!

Photograph by Highlandwildlifephotography

Hen Harrier Diaries 2016. Entry No. 1

Sky Dancing Male Hen Harrier (photo David Palmer)

 

This is a wonderful time of the year if you want to enjoy watching Hen Harriers. It is when they perform their courtship displays, known as the sky dance. Really, words cannot do this aerial display justice, and even videos like this (https://vimeo.com/145538958) really can't live up to witnessing full blown sky dancing!

Today saw some wonderful sky dancing at a site in Kerry where a pair of Hen Harriers succesfully bred in 2015. For 1.5 hour...s, there was nothing to be seen, when as if from nowhere a male appeared on the scene. He performed a most remarkable sky dance, with 170 peaks and troughs - an amazing display of agility and stamina. Surely this impressed his mate and she soon came into the picture following the superstar on the dance floor! We all hope they do well this season. It is a long way to late July when we hope they will have reared chicks; fingers crossed!

At another site, it was a somewhat different story. The male was present alright, but there was no sign of his female. He sky danced and sky danced, exerting a massive amount of energy in hope that the female he bred with last year might see him and hopefully attach to him again this season. She did not show and while it is still early days, we are a little concerned that this may be yet another traditional breeding site that will lose a breeding pair. The nest was predated in 2015 and the female was not seen thereafter. Let's all hope that this is not the case and that the male's efforts will eventually pay off handsomely.

We will continue to keep our followers up to date with various news throughout the season.
All the best for the breeding season ahead!

Heather – One Year On

 

 
Because of the direct and indirect impacts humans have on nature (for better and for worse), because of how we would prefer humans interacted with nature, or because of the experiences and memories that we gain from nature, we often tend to consider nature from ‘our perspective’. It is seldom that we look at nature and that our contemplation of what we see doesn’t fall under one of the aforementioned categories; 1. “I’m sad at the loss of habitat” or “I’m delighted to see the maintenance of habitat”, 2. “I wish people would have more consideration for habitats and species” or 3. “I really enjoyed watching all those starlings over the reedbed”.

Those who love nature will automatically be drawn into the situation from a personal perspective – perhaps it is human nature and in all ways, that is a good thing. But perhaps a bit more, we should go beyond what “I” see, what “I” wish or what “I” got out of being with nature. How often do we think about what nature itself sees, wishes or experiences?

So, out of respect to nature, this blog entry will not recount what Heather, the satellite tracked Hen Harrier gave to “us” in terms of joy following her progress or information in terms of her travels, habitat use, new roosts and much more, nor will it go into the obvious devastation that was felt at the time or her persecution (which is still felt today) or public outcry and support for Hen Harriers that followed. Instead, it will focus on what Heather would have seen, experienced and wished.

 

Heather was born and reared in the Summer of 2013, with her four siblings in a heather covered nest, nestled on the slope of a ravine, with a young river flowing below. Her mother would shelter and protect the young, very closely in the first couple of weeks until they grew their feathers and became capable of self thermo-regulating and feeding themselves on the food that their mother and father would bring. Heather’s father was a particularly good provider and did the majority of the provisioning for the five young, as well as for Heather’s mother in the early weeks of the summer.

One day, while both of Heather’s parents were away, the peace of nest was interrupted by two men who walked in and took Heather and her sister (Sally) from the nest and fitted them both with satellite tags before putting them back into the nest immediately afterwards. Heather’s parents returned to the nest none the wiser, but they and the young birds, must surely have been wondering what that small device on their backs were.

When the time came, Heather and her siblings began to fly. For the first month, the family unit stayed around the general nest area, making great use of the heather moorland so that the young could rise and attempt food passes from their parents (with occasional fumbles forgiven by the fact they could re-find any dropped food on the ground). Heather was now beginning to see the wider world, beyond the heather covered nest where up until then all she knew was the sky and her family. She could see for miles and miles from the top of the mountain where she was reared. She could even see the Atlantic Ocean. Heather did what was natural, and she flew. She began to explore, and in a big way. She travelled in a north-easterly direction through Munster, towards Kildare, Wicklow and Dublin. Dublin was obviously a world away from the little ravine, heather moorland and mountain streams where she had been reared – she would have seen the City, in fact flown over it. She turned for more natural habitat and called the heather moorland of the Dublin and Wicklow Mountains home for a number of weeks. After some time, the natural desire for the young harrier to travel saw her head north, to Meath. There one morning, she rose from her roost and standing in the field was a man with a pair of binoculars looking at her. Onwards, north to Louth and Armagh. Heather roosted on the shore of Lough Neagh, the biggest lake in Ireland. She did not delay there however, and made the amazing non-stop journey in a reverse southerly direction, from Lough Neagh to South Cork. Hundreds of kilometres later, she arrived by the cliffs and roosted on some coastal heath, surrounded by tillage farmland where she could find plentiful food and a safe place to rest. It is possible that she found this patch of land, hundreds of kilometres from where she had been, by following an adult female Hen Harrier who had coloured tags on her back. Heather called this home for a number of months, cruising around the tillage fields by day and roosting by night to the sound of Chough, Gulls and crashing waves. From these older birds, Heather would have learned of good hunting places and safe places to spend each night. Again, there was every so often a man watching Heather with binoculars.

 

A new year came. 2014 saw Heather visit the Nagle Mountains and then West Waterford. Come breeding time, she was in the Ballyhouras and hung around with an established pair. She did not breed that summer, but instead travelled through various counties to make it to Mayo. Heather's roost sites in and around Ballycroy National Park and Castlebar provided some super habitat in terms of heather, rough grassland, hedgerows and scrub. It was a beautiful summer and Heather's surrounds provided ample resources. Every so often, Heather would have seen a man with a pair of binoculars.

 

With the summer finished and the days shortening, Heather decided to retrace her steps and visit the exact same sites in Cork as she had spent the previous winter. However, after some time, she made the bold move back to her native Kingdom - this time South Kerry. There, she would have every so often seen a man with a pair of binoculars watch her as she and other harriers settled into roost each evening to see out the night in what they would have seen as a safe haven. She overlooked the spectacular Skelligs and even roosted on an offshore island for some time. One day, she decided to take a short break from South Kerry and returned home to the exact spot where she was reared. Back to the heather clad hills and that mountain ravine. Even after all her journeys, she knew where home was at all times.

 

However, her return home was short and Heather soon travelled back to South Kerry again, a return to the hills for an attempt at finding a mate, would have to wait a short while until spring of 2015 arrived. One evening, Heather returned back to her roost, back to her safe haven and the other harriers she had come to recognize on a daily basis. There was a man watching, but this time it was not a man with binoculars and good intentions, it was a man with a gun. Whether he could be called a man is debatable however, as the coward pointed the barrel at the innocent harrier and pulled the trigger. Ended. Life Ended. All that Heather had seen, experienced and wished for was ended. The heather clad hills and the mountain ravine, the Dublin Mountains, the shores of Lough Neagh, the cliffs of South Cork the bogs of Mayo and all lands in between and further away, could no longer be visited by Heather and her presence could no longer add to the landscape or add depth to the scene.

 

The little device that those two men fitted to Heather and he sister Sally allowed Heather to be found, to allow her story when alive and dead to be known. So ultimately perhaps, after learning considering what Heather would have seen in her life (and you are urged to look back through this blog on Heather and Sally's full story as well as much more), we need to shine the light back on ourselves and again revert to what we wish to see, experience and influence. Habitat continues to be destroyed, for Hen Harriers and for all the native wildlife species that they are an indicator of. Human attitudes continue to differ – with more people growing indifferent to the plight of nature in Ireland, and at the same time more people growing to care for the plight of nature in Ireland. So if there is anything you can do to help more people care about wildlife in Ireland to move the trend in the right direction, then do it. Engage people with the outdoors. Fully educate yourself as to what is good and what is bad in terms of landscape and habitat change and consider what the custodians of the landscape need to continue maintaining habitats, rather than being pushed down a road of intensification or abandonment. Make that difference! But every so often, at the back of it all, have a think as to what the wildlife we so dearly love is experiencing.

 

 

A Picture Paints a Thousand Words

North Cork is one of the most densely afforested regions in Ireland ( many other regions have also experienced the same level of afforestation ). This region of North Cork ( Mullaghareirk Mts ) was once a stronghold of the Curlew,Hen Harrier, Red Grouse Corncrake,Skylark and Meadow pipit. The Hen Harrier has suffered massive decline in their population and only a few pairs remain,the Skylark and Meadow pipit also suffered a substantial decline, the Curlew, Red Grouse and Corncrake have long vanished from the landscape. The bogs and meadows where these birds once thrived are today unrecognizable with the majority of them planted with non-native sitka spruce. 

North Cork 1973

North Cork 2016 ( exact location as picture above )

The policy of planting these lands for the last thirty or forty years was simply not the answer, with the natural heritage experiencing enormous changes. For generations farmers worked vigorously to maintain and provide this pristine habitat, and is crucial they remain working and maintaining these high nature value lands for the survival of the remaining species                                                                                        

Family on there way to the well ( 1973 )  North Cork

Well today totally engulfed in sitka spruce ( 2016 ) North Cork

There was also considerable changes to social heritage of the region, with the elderly who farmed these lands fervently all there lives who witnessed the greatest changes, and have many a story to tell of days gone by, from days in the bog with bottles of cold tea and hard boiled eggs with only the Curlew and its lingering cry for company and days in the meadow making haycocks a real family day out, hot summers nights and the call of the Corncrake, the stories of the white hawk ( Hen Harrier ) gliding majestically over the rolling hills before suddenly disappearing out of sight, stories of ramblers discussing the hard days work telling yarns and the all important game of cards, sadly today many of these are just memories

The farmers that do remain do so because they refuse to give up on generations of hard work and grafting on a challenging landscape, landowners and farmers are again been encouraged to plant their land with commercial forestry, some believe that they would be "better off" encouraged to give up on generation of their families hard work.

These farmers and families are vital to the biodiversity and the culture of rural Ireland its imperative we do not lose them.

The Hen Harrier Diaries

The Hen Harrier Diaries

This is the final instalment of The Hen Harrier Diaries 2015. This years breeding season has been an outstanding success for our established pairs, they were all successful in rearing chicks. One of the territories (Pair 2) did not see any breeding attempt this year.

Pair 1; Heather's Mom and Dad. Great respect is due to this pair against all the odds they reared one beautiful chick, no meagre achievement in a predator infested area.The young fledgling has now set off to explore the world for itself , hopefully the chick will one day return and have a successful breeding attempt too.

Pair 3; The pairs hard work was really rewarding, rearing three gorgeous chicks, The three young chicks were an absolute joy to watch, especially when they fledged, they basically assaulted mom and dad every time they returned with food for their overeager chicks. They gave us some of the most memorable moments of the summer. Now they have gone their separate ways to explore the world, lets hope they stay safe.

 

Pair 4; We have had some anxious and enduring moments from this pair over the course of the summer. Their result has been a positive one rearing one stunning chick. The chick stuck around until a few weeks ago until it's curiosity to see the world got the better of it. Hopefully mom and dad can produce the same again next year.

Pair 5; The Professionals have yet again been phenomenal this year, the conclusion was even better than initially believed, they actually reared three chicks. They gave us a wealth of wonderful memories over the summer. Hopefully their young juveniles can find their away in the world and no doubt we will see mom and dad again next year.

Pair 6; New Kids on the BlockPenny is a special bird, like all Hen Harriers. From her first attempt at sky dancing to her first food pass, her bravery to challenge four lesser black back Gulls and evict them from her territory she had us intrigued. What a success story Penny has been, at such a young age to rear three gorgeous chicks credit to her and her Male companion, hopefully they will return again next year and be as successful as this year, and her young fledglings are thriving in their new world.

Now it is onto the first winter of the young birds born on the mountains this year. They will travel near and far, making their own way in the world. The first winter is a real bottlebneck for the Irish Hen Harrier population, with just one out of every six chicks believed to survive through to the following spring breeding season. The Irish Hen Harrier Winter Survey follows the progress of our national Hen Harrier population during this crucial part of the year and sightings can be contributed to harriers@ahg.gov.ie

We will keep you posted with some news from roosts around the country throughout the winter and should you have any news you would like reported yourself, please email Hen Harrier Ireland at home.of.harriers@gmail.com

                                                                                                                           Bye for now

                                                                                                                   Thank you for tuning in

                                                                                                                       Hen Harrier Ireland