Future of Hen harriers in the UK hangs in the balance | ITV News

ITV News Science Editor Tom Clarke is sitting within touching distance of a hen harrier. And even though she's in that scruffy-feathered phase between fluffy hatchling and fully-fledged raptor, it's a truly awe-inspiring moment.
Because in England, hen harriers are as rare as their namesake's teeth.
Last year, just nine pairs bred successfully in England. And of the 37 hen harrier fledglings tagged by the RSPB last year, ten vanished over grouse shooting estates. Natural mortality is high in wild birds, but what's happening to hen harriers across the UK is very far from natural.
Two of last year's fledglings from the nest we're filming in England's Peak District were satellite tagged. Both disappeared in suspicious circumstances over a neighbouring moor. A moor which is managed for grouse shooting.
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