The hen harrier - such a mesmerisingly beautiful bird but, alas, one faced by so many threats

  

This superb book is being re-promoted by its publisher to coincide with Hen Harrier Day

TODAY is August 10 - Hen Harrier Day - so what  more appropriate time than to revisit Don Scott's masterful study of the bird based on his 24 years' intensive field research in Northern Ireland?

Among his many discoveries about this majestic species was that, if it needs must, it will nest in  the tops of Sitka spruce trees.  

A fascinating nugget of information, but not good news. It denotes loss of appropriate nesting habitat on the heather moorland the species much prefers. 

Also harriers'  tree nests tend to be flimsy affairs, and, all too often, eggs and chicks fall to the ground with inevitable consequences.

"Poor ground cover does not give nesting or roosting harriers the degree of protection they need," writes Scott. "It renders them vulnerable to predators and people hellbent on deliberately disturbing or persecuting them.

"Harriers resort to abnormal behaviour in an effort to survive."

Recent commentary about the species is the extent to which, over the centuries, it has been victim of extensive persecution, especially, by use of gun or poison, on grouse moors.

But as the author indicates, grouse chicks amount for probably no more than a single percent of a hen harrier's diet - it much prefers skylarks and meadow pipits.

Alas, this iconic bird of prey faces many other threats - for instance, adverse weather during the breeding season,  red foxes, which predate its eggs and chicks, and goshawks which will even seize and consume adults.

Moorland fires, sometime started illegally by farmers,  are another problem as are recreational events such as offroad car rallies and motor cycle or quad bike scrambling which disturb or destroy feeding and nesting habitat.

Loss of heather to make way for sheeping grazing pasture is another abiding concern. So are windfarms, evidenced by an incident in on January 13, 2007, when a male was found dead, "its right wing completely sheared off after a collision with one of the turbine rotors".

Sometimes over-zealous research by ecology students is a menace, and the author pulls no punches in criticising conservation organisations for initiatives that may be well meaning but are sometimes so  ill-conceived as to be harmful.  

The Hen Harrier s sub-titled In The Shadow of Slemish because the 450-metre high Slemish Mountain provided the beautiful backdrop for Scott's  field research which was carried out in every type of weather, often extreme.

In the concluding chapter, the author writes: "Nothing beats the excitement of seeing hen harriers in the wild.

"We simply cannot afford to lose these magnificent raptors from our uplands.

"If we do, it will probably be due to habitat loss. 

"And there will be no reintroducing a species where there is no habitat."

Priced at £18.99, The Hen Harrier has been praised by many, among them BBC Wildlife presenter Iolo Williams.

Writes Williams: "Anyone willing to sit on his backside on wet ground for weeks on end through, rain, hail and snow before walking through acres of thick Sitka spruce, then returning to watch once more, deserves a medal.

"To do this every spring and summer for 24 years deserves a knighthood."

This excellent  book can be ordered from Whittles Publishing via www.whittlespublishing.com (01593 731333).