‘The Bermuda triangle for birds’: Hen harriers face threat of grouse season

Hen harriers numbers have increased in recent years, but successful nests are still well below their potential. Photograph: Nature Picture Library/Alamy

The sweeping edge of the Pennines at Geltsdale is a cathedral for birdsong on a still spring evening. Everything from thrushes to curlew are calling from this diverse mix of heather moorland, resurgent scrub, rough grassland and pools of water around a rewilded stream.

The conditions on this large nature reserve are perfect for the rare hen harrier to thrive and conservationists hope that this year it will. But there remain fears that illegal persecution will continue to hinder the rare raptor’s recovery.