Endangered rare bird of prey rears chicks at secret location

By Sapphire Hope

The U.K.'s rarest bird of prey has nested for the second year running at a secret location in England — to stop an influx of twitchers.

The Montagu's harrier, which has officially been on the endangered Red List since 2021, is a globally threatened species after it failed to successfully breed between 2020 and 2024.

But last year a pair of adults raised four chicks at the same secret farmland location — the first time the species had successfully bred in the U.K. since 2019, according to the RSPB.

This year, the same adult male nested with two new females — and the nests were just a short distance apart.

The 10-year-old male, named "AU" from his leg ring, went on to feed three youngsters in each nest. AU was himself ringed as a chick in a protected nest in Wiltshire in 2016.

The species is easily disturbed when breeding and may also return to the same sites in subsequent years, therefore secret breeding locations are essential, particularly after the population of Montagu's harriers declined after a high of nine successful nests in 2011.

The location was kept top secret to stop an influx of bird watchers flocking to the site to catch a glimpse of the incredibly rare bird.

Careful monitoring by the RSPB and farmers meant this year's nests were protected by fences to exclude ground predators and the chicks were all uniquely ringed in mid-July — meaning a numbered tag was attached to their leg to track their movements.

More from this section

How far parents go to afford school supplies

IndyCar speeds into nation's capital

Does the design of the street where you live affect sleep patterns?

For the first time in the U.K., two of the young females have been fitted with £3,000 ($4,090) satellite tags which allow the RSPB to follow the birds daily on their 7,000-mile return journey to West Africa.

Mark Thomas, Montagu's harrier species lead at RSPB, said: "We are doing our absolute utmost to save this iconic species in the U.K. and are delighted with six flying juveniles this year.

"The satellite-tagging of juveniles for the first ever time should give us a direct insight into their migration, survival and when and where they return to the U.K.

"This has been a true team effort and we would like to thank the farmers, conservationists and our sponsors Mark and Mo Constantine.

"AU is truly awesome, he is single-handedly propping up this species in the U.K. with his amazing display flights in May being rewarded by attracting two new breeding females, seemingly out of thin air."

Montagu's harriers winter in Africa before returning to Europe to breed, nesting on the ground in agricultural fields with their youngsters often still too young to fly at harvest time.

As a result, nests can often be unintentionally destroyed. The RSPB says interventions by conservationists and partnerships with farmers are therefore essential, particularly with climate change leading to earlier harvests.

The RSPB has urged birders to look out for the other youngsters as they leave the country and to report any sightings by emailing the Montagu's hotline montys@rspb.org.uk