Iconic bird found in Offaly facing extinction because of forestry

The iconic Hen Harrier, a beautiful bird which is known as “The Sky Dancer”, is facing extinction in one its strongholds, the Slieve Bloom Mountains.

This is a tragedy for all those in the region who love the Hen Harrier and who have done what they can to increase the bird's numbers. This includes farmers who want to see wildlife thrive, and Rangers who work hard to stop illegal poaching.

The bad news came via a press release issued by Birdwatch Ireland. This stated that the fifth national survey of Hen Harriers in 2022 published by the National Parks and Wildlife Service has revealed shocking declines in this deeply-loved bird of prey of our upland regions.

Only 85 confirmed pairs of Hen Harrier were recorded throughout the country by the survey, representing the most severe decline of any national survey to date.

The survey stated that there had been a 25% decline in the Slieve Bloom population over the 7 years since the last survey in 2015. The 2015 survey recorded 11-12 pairs.

Speaking to The Midland Tribune, Ricky Whelan, Biodiversity Officer with Offaly County Council, pointed out that while the Slieve Blooms have always been one of the bird's strongholds in the country, it hasn't been without its problems “and the population number of breeding pairs does fluctuate from year to year. In the early 2000s there were 10ish pairs breeding across the blanket bog and edge habitats up the mountain. In recent years the number has hovered around 8 pairs annually.”

A spokesperson for Birdwatch Ireland pointed out that too much industrial forestry in the Slieve Blooms is the principal reason for the decline. Hen Harriers love the open blanket bog of the hill-tops but it would seem this area is dwindling rather than expanding because of encroaching conifer forestry (predominantly sitka spruce). There are in fact a lot of sitka spruce saplings (escapees from the main plantations) dotting the open hillside; and there seems to be no effort at all to remove these or to curtail the plantations' growth.

Ricky agreed with afforestation being the principal culprit. “As well as impeding on the habitat space,” he said, “there is also a phenomenon, associated with Sitka plantations, which is called 'edge-effect' which is defined by the presence of Sitka forests skirting hen harrier (and other ground nesters) breeding habitat, which allows predators to access and stalk ground nesting birds from the edge of said forest cover.”

He added that other factors which might be impacting on numbers might include recreational activity such as hillwalking, mountain biking, quadbiking (quadbiking is illegal); deliberate, legal fires which get out of control (you can burn vegetation which you have cleared, such as hedgerows); and accidental fires (caused by cigarette butts or campfires).

The Biodiversity Officer pointed out that an excellent National Biodiversity Action Plan, which outlines measures to fight against the decline of hen harrier numbers, has been drawn up but it has never been put into effect.

The 2022 national survey was undertaken by a partnership of the Golden Eagle Trust, Irish Raptor Study Group and BirdWatch Ireland on behalf of the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Similar to previous surveys, the 2022 national survey received enthusiastic support from a substantial network of voluntary surveyors including birdwatchers, farmers, wildlife rangers, foresters and biologists with more than 250 fieldworkers dedicating over 7,700 hours to the survey.

“Despite these collective efforts,” stated the Birdwatch Ireland press release, “the Hen Harrier has been pushed closer to the brink of extinction. The current national population estimate of 85-106 breeding pairs in 2022 represents a decline of one-third (33%) in the total population since the 2015 national survey which previously recorded 108-157 pairs. There has also been a 27% contraction in their breeding range for the same period.

“A comparison of Hen Harrier numbers in specific survey squares which were covered across the various national surveys reveals that Hen Harriers have declined by a shocking 59% since the first national survey in 1998-2000. At the current rate of decline, population extinction could be expected within 25 years and there could be fewer than 50 breeding pairs of Hen Harrier remaining within the next 10 years.”

In 2007, as a requirement under the EU Birds Directive, Ireland designated six sites in upland areas as Special Protected Areas (SPAs), based on their national importance for breeding Hen Harriers at that time. The 2022 survey revealed that Hen Harrier populations in five of these SPAs have declined by between 20% and 80% since 2007, when they were identified for designation.

“We have reached crisis point at this stage,” commented John Lusby, Raptor Conservation Officer, of BirdWatch Ireland. “The situation could not be more serious, and we need to act accordingly if we are to stand any chance of ensuring Hen Harriers don’t become extinct within our lifetimes.

“Hen Harriers are one of the best studied bird species in Ireland. We know the main reason why their populations have declined to such low levels, is land-use changes resulting in the loss of habitat for Hen Harrier in our uplands, due to afforestation on important habitats for Hen Harrier and other wildlife inside and outside the Special Protection Area network. There is also associated disturbances from forest management activities and other pressures including wind energy developments. These pressures in combination have affected the integrity of our uplands, which are some of our most important areas for biodiversity and we are now seeing the very real effects of poor spatial planning and management of our uplands for Hen Harrier populations”.

“We know what needs to be done to save this species,” said Oonagh Duggan, Head of Advocacy with BirdWatch Ireland. “The Government knows what needs to be done but it is not acting. The Government recently issued a draft Threat Response Plan for Hen Harrier for public consultation which was ten years in the making. During this time the species declined by a third. The Threat Response Plan has vague actions and is lacking ambition. It is just not good enough. This is a litmus test for government and its new National Biodiversity Action Plan which has an objective to halt the deterioration of 30% of species with unfavourable status by 2030.

“We will be launching a campaign soon so that members of the public can offer support to save the skydancing Hen Harrier from extinction. All national Hen Harrier breeding and wintering sites must be protected from afforestation, forest management activities and wind energy development. Habitat restoration for these important areas is also critical and we need long-term and well-funded agri-environment scheme to support farmers for their conservation efforts”.

Dr Marc Ruddock, one of the report authors working for the Golden Eagle Trust, and Jamie Bailey secretary of the Irish Raptor Study Group confirmed that both organisations are thankful to all the surveyors involved and are pleased at the publication of the Irish Wildlife Manual to help inform conservation actions. However, they were dismayed at the findings and such significant declines observed in the Hen Harrier population.

Jamie Bailey commented, “The publication of the Hen Harrier survey represents a huge testament to the more than 250 volunteers and surveyors that searched systematically, often fruitlessly, for the species across Ireland in 2022 and their dedication and expertise is hugely valued. Many IRSG members having surveyed the species for many decades noted that so many of these areas that once were strongholds for the species now appear functionally extinct for the Hen Harrier”.