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Three Hen Harriers have vanished in close proximity to the Glorious Twelfth, marking the official onset of the Red Grouse shooting season. These protected and rare species are known for their dazzling skydancing courtship displays. In the UK, the Hen Harrier is listed as a red species due to its dwindling population.

Apollo, a male Hen Harrier, has migrated from Bowland, Lancashire to Extrremadura, Spain twice within two years. In contrast, his brother Dynamo has covered less than 50 miles during the same time period. Another female Hen Harrier named Martha was tagged at Mar Lodge, a National Trust for Scotland estate in Aberdeenshire in 2022. In August 2023, her last transmission was recorded from Westburnhope Moor near Hexham in the North Pennines. Selena, a juvenile female, was tagged in Bowland and was last detected at Mossdale Moor near Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales on August 11, 2023. Hepit, another young female Hen Harrier, was tagged in Bowland and moved to the Yorkshire Dales before her last transmission from Birkdale Common near Kirkby Stephen on August 15, 2023. This area has seen the disappearance or discovery of dead Hen Harriers with injuries indicative of persecution since September 2020.

The RSPB’s chief executive, Beccy Speight, condemned the incidents, stating that if Hen Harriers are to sustain a viable population in England, these occurrences must cease. The RSPB urges individuals with information about crimes against birds of prey to report anonymously to their confidential Raptor Crime Hotline. The police and the National Wildlife Crime Unit have been informed of all three disappearances.

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