Ríaghán (male, tag no. 159142)

Ríaghán was born in a nest surrounded by tall heather in the Slieve Bloom Mountains Nature Reserve. Nearly all the harrier nests in the Slieve Blooms are in heather moorland and blanket bog. The female’s speckled brown plumage blends seamlessly into the heather when she is on the nest. This camouflage is essential as the nest is extremely vulnerable to predation and disturbance and some nests unfortunately fail for these and other reasons.

Ríaghán in the nest – note the antennae extended from the tag

A nest camera was installed under NPWS license to monitor the progress of Ríaghán and his sister, and to capture any possible nest predation. Frequent food deliveries by the male and later by the female ensured that this brood grew up healthy and strong and both successfully fledged the nest. Prey items were mainly small passerines (mostly meadow pipit) and small mammals. The female was also captured on camera feeding a frog and a young rabbit to the chicks.

Dinner time!  - adult female feeding a frog to Ríaghán’s siblings

The nest was near an area of felled invasive conifers on the blanket bog (part of the NPWS conservation management of the site) and the remaining tree stumps were frequently used as perches by the females and, later, the juveniles. Bad weather in late June meant that the female had to spend long periods brooding the chicks. Luckily, they had most of their plumage at this stage to survive as she intermittently left the nest to go hunting for food. Many nests in the Slieve Blooms with younger chicks did not survive this year.

Ríaghán and his sister enduring the wet weather. The adult female returned to nest with food and brooded them moments later

Ríaghán was fitted with a satellite tag on the 5th of July 2016. He was named Ríaghán which means ‘little king ‘ in Irish as it suited the regal demeanour of this bird who almost always seemed to be surveying his surroundings when viewed through a telescope. Ríaghán also denotes the ancient territory of Ui Ríaghán which encompassed the part of the Slieve Blooms where he was born and also the medieval clan of the same name who lived here. It is hoped that he will return again to his kingdom someday but future posts will follow his journey away from his natal site.

Laoise (female, tag no. 159138)

Laoise is the eldest in an all-female brood of four, from a nest in tall heather on blanket bog in the Slieve Bloom Mountain Nature Reserve.

Laoise and her siblings (13/6/2016) the external ear openings are visible at this stage. Much like an owl harriers can rely heavily on their sense of hearing when hunting.

Prey delivery rates by the adult male and later the female were frequent ensuring that Laoise, like her siblings, developed to a healthy size, weight and condition.   Food items observed were mostly small birds - mainly meadow pipits. After a considerable amount of discreet monitoring, Laoise was carefully fitted with a satellite tag on the 5th of July 2016. Laoise’s juvenile plumage of chocolate coloured upper parts and her particularly striking rufous coloured breast feathers suggested, with the help of local schoolchildren, her name Laoise which, in Irish, means ‘radiant girl’. The name also denotes the county of her birth.

Laoise - note her striking chrome yellow leg with fitted identification ring

A week or so after tagging, Laoise could be seen  perching on a prominent heather hummock or tree sapling awaiting eagerly the next food delivery. She would emit high-pitched begging calls as one of the adults came into view before rushing to capture food that was being dropped further and further away from the nest. Laoise gradually began to forage the moorland around the nest herself learning skills which will be vital for her future survival. Much of Ireland is visible from this lofty position in the Irish midlands and as Laoise begins her life’s journey the question is where will she go to next?       

Fionn (male, tag no. 160250)

This male was tagged on 7/7 at a site in the Ballyhoura Hills, North Cork, at approx. 28 days old. It’s nest site was in dense heather/gorse among 2^nd rotation conifers, quite close to a used track high up the mountainside. This male was one of a brood of 3 that fledged successfully from the nest. After fledging he remained in the nest area for some weeks when he could be heard calling/begging for food and being fed by the adult female who was still on site. Young harriers can be quite noisy when they’ve left the nest especially when they are still at least partially dependent on the adults for food prior to dispersal. 

Juv male harrier Fionn at nest in Ballyhouras, Co. Cork, July 2016

The nest was located in June although the pair had been on site since April. However, the nest area was difficult to observe as it is hidden in a large continuous block of forestry making it difficult to pin point the exact nest location.  Hatching was confirmed by watching adults bring food to the nest from a remote vantage point and the nest visited for tagging (under licence from NPWS & BTO) when the chicks were estimated to be some 4 weeks old. Often at harrier nests with multiple chicks there may be quite a variation in the size and development of chicks within the brood, from a near completely feathered and well grown chick to one or two with large patches of down and flight and wing feathers still growing, and sometimes a ‘runt’ with much less feather growth. Often these chicks, usually the last to hatch, sadly don’t make it to fledging. 

The name Fionn is derived from one of the higher hills in the Ballyhouras, Seefin, on the north (Limerick) side of the range. This translates literally as the ‘bed of Finn’ or the last resting place, one of many, of the great mythical Fenian warrior, Fionn/Finn MacCumhaill. The many great adventures of Fionn and the Fíanna are the stuff of legend, such as building the Giant’s Causeway as stepping stones to Scotland to fight a Scottish giant! Local lore in the Ballyhouras suggest that the outline of the hills as seen from the north depict Fionn’s body with the peak of Blackrock Mt,. as his head, Seefin as his folded arms, and Long Mountain his legs!

Fraoch (female, tag no. 160251)

This female was tagged on the 15^th of July at an approximate age of 24-26 days. The nest was located at a traditional bramble and rush site in the Mullaghareirk Mountains in Co. Cork. Monitored by both staff and volunteers as part of IRD Duhallow’s RaptorLIFE project, the chick was in a brood of 2 and was the heaviest of all the 10 chicks tagged this year. 

The nest was located in a firebreak between two blocks of Sitka spruce forestry. While having forestry in close proximity to the nest raises the risk of predation from foxes and other mammalian predators, the nest was well protected by the dense rough grassland. Perhaps reiterating the risks faced by harrier chicks, the younger of the brood of two at this nest fledged successfully but was found dead a short distance away in early August. Nonetheless, that the pair managed to rear young this year was a good outcome as the nest failed in 2015.

Nest site in dense bramble/rush in forest ride, Mullaghareirks, July 2016

This year’s monitoring of the nest began in April from a remote vantage point far enough away to avoid disturbance. After observing the legendary sky dancing for a few weeks, nesting was confirmed with multiple observations of food passes during the months of May and June.   

The name Fraoch comes from the area near to where she was born, ‘Sliabh Fraoch’ or Heather Mountain, and denotes favourable hen harrier habitat. With luck, Sliabh Fraoch will continue to provide rich foraging and nesting habitat in order to support hen harriers and other upland species long into the future. Regular updates will follow Fraoch’s movements as she disperses away from her natal site in the Mullaghareirks.  

Nest site in Mullaghareirks, July 2016