The news that 60 hen harrier chicks have fledged in England this year is encouraging & testament to the crucial monitoring from raptor workers. While 24 nests monitored is an improvement on 7 nests in 2017, there is enough habitat & prey to support more than 12x this year’s total

The science is clear that illegal persecution remains the most serious threat to this species - since 2018, 43 hen harriers are known to have been killed or “gone missing”, after fledging.

The sad reality for those who protect these birds is that some of this years fledglings risk being killed. If this painfully slow recovery is to gather pace & these beautiful birds are to become as common across our landscapes as they should be, the illegal persecution MUST stop