Hen harrier breeding pair numbers are falling in Scotland.
Photograph: Mark Hamblin (
rspb-images.com)
THERE are now estimated to be fewer than 500 breeding pairs of hen harriers in Scotland, writes David McPhee.
The latest national survey of these birds shows that hen harrier numbers have fallen by nine per cent in Scotland since 2010. Over the past 12 years, the number of breeding pairs has dropped by 27 per cent.