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Bird of Prey (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter sweepiedog
- Start date
Hi "Sweepiedog",
Yes,a definite male Hen Harrier,a species which is in trouble here all of a sudden due to the actions of some individuals,all in the name of making a political point!:-(
Has there been any trouble up North with the species?I know that Don Scott has had tree-nesting birds in Antrim for a few years now:this habit hasn't as yet caught on in the Republic or even elsewhere in NI!
Harry
Yes,a definite male Hen Harrier,a species which is in trouble here all of a sudden due to the actions of some individuals,all in the name of making a political point!:-(
Has there been any trouble up North with the species?I know that Don Scott has had tree-nesting birds in Antrim for a few years now:this habit hasn't as yet caught on in the Republic or even elsewhere in NI!
Harry
Hi CJW,
I've always wondered how there could be such a strong population of Hen Harriers on the Isle of Man
resumably you are familiar with the concept that islands tend to have poorer fauna than larger land-masses,and the Isle of Man is quite a bit smaller even than our own relatively small island of Ireland(smaller than any Irish county,in fact!)?
Maybe the species is filling its own niche and that of another species found both here and in Britain,but not on the Isle of Man?
Robins,for example,are rare on Great Saltee,but Sedge Warbler is a common breeding bird:while the latter is common on the mainland as well,it's far less abundant than Robin,and the Sedgies on Saltee nest in every habitat available(very little wet ground on the island,most birds breed in tangles of brambles and bracken,but admittedly I have seen the species breeding in this habitat on coastal headlands alongside Whitethroats and Reed Buntings)
We have no keepered moorland either:in fact,we didn't have a problem with persecution here at all prior to this year,and the species went largely unnoticed by many.Ironically,the fact that certain areas have been proposed as SPA's for the species has led to ill-feeling among the local farmers in these areas,and has resulted in at least one bird being shot to make a point(I should point out that such action may not represent the majority of such hill-farmers)
Harry
I've always wondered how there could be such a strong population of Hen Harriers on the Isle of Man
resumably you are familiar with the concept that islands tend to have poorer fauna than larger land-masses,and the Isle of Man is quite a bit smaller even than our own relatively small island of Ireland(smaller than any Irish county,in fact!)?Maybe the species is filling its own niche and that of another species found both here and in Britain,but not on the Isle of Man?
Robins,for example,are rare on Great Saltee,but Sedge Warbler is a common breeding bird:while the latter is common on the mainland as well,it's far less abundant than Robin,and the Sedgies on Saltee nest in every habitat available(very little wet ground on the island,most birds breed in tangles of brambles and bracken,but admittedly I have seen the species breeding in this habitat on coastal headlands alongside Whitethroats and Reed Buntings)
We have no keepered moorland either:in fact,we didn't have a problem with persecution here at all prior to this year,and the species went largely unnoticed by many.Ironically,the fact that certain areas have been proposed as SPA's for the species has led to ill-feeling among the local farmers in these areas,and has resulted in at least one bird being shot to make a point(I should point out that such action may not represent the majority of such hill-farmers)
Harry
