Four Young Hen Harriers Satellite Tagged This Summer Thanks Again To Your Generous Donations
Our annual Christmas Appeal, launched in December 2025, was just as generously supported by you as the previous campaigns, and raised sufficient funds to sponsor four satellite tags again.
Now the breeding season is over, the tags have been fitted and the chicks have fledged, we can reveal the four young Hen Harriers that were tagged thanks to your donations.
Three of the four birds are females, and two are sisters. The male, Hyperon, was born in the Forest of Bowland. Sisters Ella and Eleanor were two of five siblings that fledged from the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve in Dumfries and Galloway. And young female Elara was also tagged in the Forest of Bowland.
Both Tarras Valley Nature Reserve (11 fledged chicks in 2026) and the United Utilities Estate in the Forest of Bowland (30 fledged this year) have strong track records for Hen Harrier breeding success. We are indebted to them for the continued care of Harriers in their landscapes.
Two Young Sisters Fledged at the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve
We are very grateful to our partners in the field – RSPB Investigations, RSPB Scotland, and the Raptor Study Groups – their patience and dedication ensured that the nests were constantly monitored, the satellite tags were fitted, and the birds successfully fledged during a long, hot tagging season.
Each satellite tag, weighing just 9.5g, is expensive, costing around £3,000, but hugely valuable, allowing our analyst colleagues at RSPB Investigations to monitor the well-being of the birds around the clock. You can learn about how satellite tags work here.
But they don’t only provide vital data on the location and condition of the tagged birds. They also play an important part in gathering evidence and building a case for prosecution in cases of wildlife crime.
And the mere presence of a tag on the bird can deter wildlife criminals from attempting to shoot a Hen Harrier, as the successful prosecution of Head Gamekeeper Racster Dingwall revealed earlier this year. Covert footage from RSPB Investigations showed that he and his colleagues avoided shooting a ‘boxed’ (tagged) bird (Ataksak), choosing instead to scare it away with warning shots.
Once again we would like to thank all those Hen Harrier Action supporters for their generosity in funding satellite tags to protect this rare and iconic bird.
We will keep you up to date with their travels and progress.