Hen Harriers

17th June 2011

I've been involved in studying Hen Harriers on Skye for over 10 years now. The study is mainly in the north of the island but a bonus this year was that a pair returned to breed in Strathaird on JMT ground. Unfortunately this pair failed and weather may have been a problem. With superb settled weather in April birds bred earlier than normal. Unfortunately the weather through May was extremely wet and windy which may have accounted for some losses with four out of nine nests located failing. It appears that at least one nest fell to fox predation with a female killed on the nest. There are now cameras on three of the five remaining nests as part of a long-term study on predation by red foxes. A further update will be provided at the end of the season.

THE BOOK

"A glorious little gem"

AMAZON

"A book such as this has to look backwards and the author does so succinctly, looking at the work of several of the pioneering naturalists before picking out the publications of JA Harvie-Brown and the Rev. Hugh Macpherson. I know this book fills a real gap in the information available for the Isle of Skye and it will surely sell well at local bookshops."

Andrew Currie Miscellany West Highland Free Press

"A total of 238 species have been recorded, with 14 of those 'red listed' as of high conservation concern ... another innovation has been the inclusion of Gaelic names for some birds. While this is not uncommon in a few other books, the addition of some regional Gaelic names is very unusual and very welcome."

Ray Collier Country Diary 'Up in the Skye' The Guardian

"Illustrated with beautiful photographs of current birdlife on the island, the publication also features sketches by Jean Thomas of The Little Gallery, Portnalong, stimulating the reader's interest further and allowing them to identify species they encounter on Skye."

The Hebridean