Natural England and its partners recorded 119 chicks successfully escaping from upland nests in County Durham, Cumbria, Lancashire, Northumberland and Yorkshire. A fledgling is a young bird that has grown enough to have its initial flight feathers and is preparing to leave the nest and fend for itself. It is the first time in more than a century that the number added to the population has exceeded 100 young birds, the agency said. But conservation experts warn that work must continue to tackle the illegal persecution of England’s most endangered bird of prey, which hunts chicks to feed their young, bringing them into conflict with commercial shooting estates. One-month-old chicks in northern England. Photo: Owen Humphreys/PA Chickens have been protected since the 1950s. Natural England chairman Tony Juniper said: “It is very encouraging to see the progress made this year in the recovery of this majestic species, taking numbers to over 100 for the first time in a century. “It is testament to the dedication of the volunteers, landowners and staff of all our partner organizations who work so hard to protect, support and monitor these vulnerable birds. “Despite this year’s success, we clearly still have a long way to go to see warbler numbers truly recover to where they would naturally be without illegal persecution – with many birds sadly still unaccounted for. “We are committed to continuing to work with our partners to reduce prosecution rates and achieve a lasting long-term recovery.” Hen breeding populations in England reached a nadir in 2013 when no chicks successfully fledged. After eight chicks fledged in 2016, there have now been six consecutive years of increases, with 49 nests recorded in 2022, of which 34 were successful in producing chicks. Lancashire remains a stronghold for the birds, with 18 nests recorded in Bowland, while there were nine nests in Northumberland, 10 in the Yorkshire Dales and Nidderdale, seven in the North Pennines and five in the Peak District. A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said: “We welcome the news from Nature England that cocoons have had their most successful breeding season this year and are proud of the contribution our teams have made to this success through nest protection. habitat restoration and monitoring efforts. “However, the risk of these young birds being illegally killed after leaving the safety of their nests remains very real. That is why we are calling on the UK Government to provide resources to support hen conservation and ensure that existing wildlife protection laws are better enforced.”
