Meet the Animals

In the reedbeds of Sculthorpe Moor Nature Reserve, just down the road from Pensthorpe, Springwatch cameras have been placed near the nest of a marsh harrier.

Missed something? Catch up with the marsh harriers at Sculthorpe here.

Species information

Marsh harriers are the largest of the harriers. Look for their long tails, the way they hold their wings in a shallow V-shape when gliding and brown plumage with some grey in the wings and tail. Females have pale heads and shoulder patches.

Powerful harriers, they hunt over marshland in a classic harrier fashion: slowly patrolling at low levels, even hovering, before diving onto a small mammal or bird. Some impressive aerobatics can be seen during courtship displays and during aerial food passes.

Marsh harriers have been in Britain since the Iron Age, but the draining of the Fens and other wetlands for farming and the use of pesticides caused numbers to drastically decline. Happily they have recovered more recently. There are now thought to be around 360 females in the UK.

How to help

Please observe these rare and wonderful birds of prey from a safe distance.

You can help the BTO record bird migration and distribution throughout the UK with BirdTrack. If you come across an injured marsh harrier then please contact Raptor Rescue.

Thursday 4th June

Catch up with the marsh harrier nest at Sculthorpe Nature Reserve. It looks like those chicks are growing fast. Watch out for the spectacular food pass at the beginning.

From 2008

Last year we witnessed a dramatic lightning strike near our marsh harrier nest, luckily only the camera got struck!