UK Nature and Environment

The hen harrier is one of our rarest birds of prey and just 11 years ago there were no successful nests in England. However, since Natural England issued its first licence for the Hen Harrier Brood Management Trial in 2018, one of the fundamental components of Defra’s Hen Harrier Action Plan, the number of hen harriers nesting in England has dramatically increased; thanks in no small part to the work of moorland managers. It is therefore disappointing that this year’s breeding figures are lower than those for the previous three years, with Natural England recording 34 breeding attempts (compared to 54 in 2023), of which 25 were successful (36 in 2023). Although the 80 chicks fledged this year was also lower than last year, it is important to keep these figures in perspective.