Chicks fledge after hen harrier disappearances

The surviving chicks have flown the nest following RSPB intervention

Five hen harrier chicks have fledged "against the odds" after four breeding males disappeared, the RSPB said.

Staff at the conservation charity said the disappearance of two of the rare birds from RSPB Geltsdale Nature Reserve in Cumbria, and a further two from the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire, pointed to their illegal killing.

RSPB staff and volunteers intervened to provide their paired females with emergency food in an effort to save their chicks.

Geltsdale reserve volunteer Chris Hind said: "To see these birds take to the sky after weeks of tough work is fantastic but, as with all hen harriers in the UK, these birds face an uncertain future."

The protected bird species, known for their acrobatic "skydancing" courtship displays, are categorised as red-listed in terms of conservation concern.

Two of the four nests had failed at incubation stage, the charity said.

But staff and volunteers "quickly responded" to the nests that had youngsters, providing additional food under a licence from Natural England.

"The aim is to compensate for a reduction in natural food being brought into a nest," the RSPB said.

Three chicks grew wings large enough for flight from Geltsdale, and two from Bowland.

Dynamo (pictured) was one of the adult male hen harriers that disappeared

The RSPB said it was "highly unusual" for a male to naturally desert its nest.

The charity previously said hen harriers were often targets for rogue gamekeepers trying to protect commercial grouse stocks from being preyed upon.

But the Moorland Association, which is responsible for more than a million acres of moorlands in England and Wales, rebutted, saying none of those convicted of bird crime were gamekeepers - who were actually "working hard to help birds thrive".

Chief executive Andrew Gilruth said the RSPB's claims were "unproven, unverified smears" from an organisation with a "fundraising agenda".

Natural England, the government's scientific adviser on nature, has previously stated that the birds are extremely rare in England due to illegal persecution and nest disturbance, primarily in areas associated with grouse shooting.

Cumbria Police said it was liaising with the National Wildlife Crime Unit to investigate the disappearance of two male hen harriers from the Geltsdale area in May. Lancashire Police has been approached for comment.