First family in 50 years for Monty
17 August 2010
Natural England and various partner organisations are celebrating the successful outcome of months of hard work encouraging a rare bird to thrive in this region.
One of Britain’s rarest raptors has bred successfully on the North York Moors this summer for the first time in 50 years, announced Natural England today. A pair of Montagu’s harriers hatched five chicks, rearing at least three of them to fledging.
The elegant Montagu’s harrier has always been a rare bird in this country. There was no confirmed breeding in either 1974 and 1975, but numbers have slowly increased since then and, in recent years, there have typically been less than 15 confirmed breeding pairs. Most breeding takes place on farmland around the Wash and in suitable habitats in southern England.
Round the clock security was provided at the nest site by a partnership including North Yorkshire Police, British Trust for Ornithology, North York Moors National Park Authority and Natural England. To ensure the safety of the birds and hopefully their return next year the site is not being named.
Stephen Duncan, a Farmland Bird Adviser at Natural England, said “It’s fantastic to see these beautiful birds here in Yorkshire and their breeding success is a tribute to the hard work and diligence of all the partners involved. The excellent condition of the surrounding moorland, much of it in Environmental Stewardship, has ensured a constant food supply for the chicks.”
Mark Rasbeary, Wildlife Crime Coordinator for North Yorkshire Police, said “I am extremely pleased to see the successful outcome of this partnership approach to protecting this nest site. It saddens me that in the 21st Century we still need to operate in a cloak of secrecy where these birds are concerned. It is only through a close working partnership between the agencies concerned that we have had this success, which will hopefully lead to this iconic species returning next year. Wildlife crime, including raptor persecution is taken seriously by North Yorkshire Police and we will continue to work with our colleagues to stamp it out.”
Ends
Notes for editors
1. For further information and photographs, please contact Lyndon Marquis, 0300 060 4236, 07786 277223, lyndon.marquis@naturalengland.org.uk.
2. The Montagu’s harrier (Circus pygargus) has a wingspan of 96-116cm. It is a summer visitor to Britain and winters in north Africa. It breeds on heathland, moorland, arable farmland and marshes and feeds on small birds, mammals, lizards and insects.
3. Natural England is the government’s advisor on the natural environment. We provide practical advice, grounded in science, on how best to safeguard England’s natural wealth for the benefit of everyone. Our remit is to ensure sustainable stewardship of the land and sea so that people and nature can thrive. It is our responsibility to see that England’s rich natural environment can adapt and survive intact for future generations to enjoy. We work with farmers and land managers; business and industry; planners and developers; national, regional and local government; interest groups and local communities to help them improve their local environment
