UK's rarest bird of prey rears new chicks in secret location

The UK's rarest bird of prey, the Montagu's harrier, has successfully nested for the second consecutive year in the same undisclosed location, according to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). Male Montagu's harrier, designated as "AU" by conservationists, mated with two distinct females, raising a total of six chicks across two nests on English farmland.

Montagu's harriers were classified as a "red list" species of greatest risk in the UK in 2021, with numbers dwindling from a peak of nine successful nests in 2011 to no evidence of successful breeding between 2020 and 2024.

An RSPB spokesperson expressed delight at the six fledglings this year, stating that their team is "doing our absolute utmost to save this iconic species in the UK." Four chicks hatched in the same secret location last year. To protect the nests from ground predators like foxes, careful monitoring and protective fences were established in collaboration with the landowners.

The RSPB, in partnership with BBC, was granted exclusive access to one of the nests, observing the male harrier delivering prey mid-air and the female catching it upside down.

This year, RSPB fitting two of the chicks with satellite tags marks a first, enabling them to track the raptors' migration routes, duration of stays, and whether they return to the UK in the first or second year. Mark Thomas, head of investigations at RSPB, emphasized the importance of this information in safeguarding the birds from inadvertent nest destruction caused by farm machinery.

Climate change also exacerbates the challenges faced by the already endangered species. Conservationists have appealed to birdwatchers to report sightings of the juveniles by contacting the RSPB's Montagu's harrier hotline at montys@rspb.org.uk.