The UK’s rarest chook has a brand new top-secret nest – however right here’s the place you’ll be able to go to {photograph} them, albeit with “extreme” warning

News within the UK has been aflutter this week with tales in regards to the Montagu’s harrier – an elusive raptor species that has nested for the second yr operating in the identical top-secret location, in response to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

Known to birders as “Monties”, these slender, pale-gray birds of prey have traditionally had low breeding pair numbers inside the nation, with a file excessive of 30 recorded within the Nineteen Fifties.

Following a current peak of 9 nests recorded in 2009, the inhabitants has declined with no pairs between 2020 and 2023, in response to the RSPB.

The perilously low UK breeding numbers imply that the placement of the brand new nest is being saved beneath wraps to stave hordes of avid birders from swarming. However, in Spain, these birds will be photographed reliably – albeit by obvserving “extreme” warning, say conservation teams.

According to the group website positioning BirdLife, when photographing Monties it is best to by no means method or linger close to a nest and will solely take photos by way of skilled birding organizations working specialised hides.

A recent study highlighted that, in 2017, Spain recorded the best variety of breeding Montagu’s harriers inside the European Union, at some 4,269-5,360. This represents a 27% decline from the earlier 2006 recording, therefore conservationists’ considerations.

Southwestern areas of Spain, reminiscent of Extremadura and La Janda, are recognized for being sighting hotspots. Though conservationists additionally warn that birders shouldn’t discover these areas in the hunt for the birds alone with out a educated information.

As for inside the UK, it’s unlikely that Monties’ numbers will turn out to be important sufficient any time quickly for it to turn out to be secure to {photograph} them. However, via ongoing conservation efforts from the likes of the RSPB, hopefully it will change in the long run.

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