In a significant conservation milestone, a pair of Montagu's harriers, one of Britain's rarest breeding birds, successfully reared four chicks at a protected location, marking the first successful breeding of the species since 2019.

The nesting attempt was closely monitored by the RSPB and a volunteer birdwatcher, utilizing drones to locate the nest and establishing a protective fence to safeguard the chicks from predators.

The chicks were ringed in mid-July and successfully fledged last week, with the male identified as having hatched in the UK in 2015 and the female from a nest in France in 2023, highlighting international conservation efforts.

The Montagu's harrier population in the UK has dramatically declined, falling from nine successful nests in 2011 to being placed on the 'red list' of most at-risk birds by 2021 due to factors such as intensive agriculture and environmental changes.

Mark Thomas from the RSPB expressed joy over the successful breeding, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between conservationists and farmers for the species' future.

The farmer involved in the conservation efforts expressed pride in hosting the Montagu's harriers on their land, attributing the success to decades of dedicated conservation work.

The RSPB is hopeful that the young birds will migrate safely to Africa and that the adults will return to the UK for breeding in the following year.

Montagu's harriers are migratory birds that winter in Africa and prefer nesting in agricultural fields in Europe, including the UK, where they typically favor winter sown cereals.