Look out for sky dancers in the Peak District
Visitors to the Peaks are asked to keep an eye out for England's rarest bird of prey.
The RSPB, the Peak District National Park Authority and the Ramblers Association have put out a special appeal to all visitors of the Peak District to look out for hen harriers.
A special RSPB dedicated hotline has been set up for Peak visitors to report sightings of the rare bird.
Peter Robertson of the RSPB Northern England said:
"This time of year is a great time to get out and about in The Peak District. There is plenty of wildlife to look and listen out for. We're asking people to particularly look out for the sky dancing champion, the hen harrier which is actually very rare.
"By alerting us to the presence of these rare birds we can help safeguard any birds that settle to nest"
Rhodri Thomas, natural environment team manager, for the Peak District National Park Authority said:
"Although occurring regularly in small numbers, this charismatic bird has breed successful in the Peak District only three times in the last 100 years.
"We support this hotline as the information gained will allow conservation bodies to work with landowners and give any nesting harriers the best possible chance of success."
Hen harriers fact file:
Hen harriers are 44-52 cm in length and are a long tailed and long winged birds of prey.
Male has silver-grey upperparts, white underparts, white rump, black wing-tips.
Female is larger, dark brown with light underparts, grey-brown tail with darker bands and obvious white band at the base of the tail. Underparts are buffish-white, heavily streaked with brown.
Flies low 'quartering' ground when hunting with wings raised in a shallow V when gliding. Usually silent except when at nest
Hen harriers live in open areas with low vegetation. In the breeding season UK birds are to be found on the upland heather moorlands of Wales, Northern England, N Ireland and Scotland (as well as the Isle of Man). In winter, they usually move to lowland farmland, heathland, coastal marshes, fenland and river valleys.
The RSPB hotline number is 0845 4600121 (calls charged at local rate) and reports of harrier sightings should include the date and location of sighting, with a six-figure grid reference where possible. Details can also be e-mailed to henharriers@rspb.org.uk
More information about hen harriers and other birds of prey can be found at www.rspb.org.uk/birdsofprey
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Weather for Sheffield
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 13 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: East
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