Rare hen harriers have chosen Cumbria as one of only three nesting sites in England.

RSPB Geltsdale revealed that a pair of birds are incubating five eggs at the reserve near Hallbankgate.

Site manager Steve Westerberg said it will be a nervous few weeks as they wait to find out if the birds have bred successfully.

There is a lot riding on the success of the nest, which is believed to be one of only three in England.

Steve explained these are young birds, about a year old, and hen harriers wouldn’t normally nest at that age. He added that they are about a month late as they normally nest at the end of May.

Steve said: “We’re delighted we have hen harriers breeding on the reserve once again. It’s an incredibly nerve-wracking time but we’re crossing our fingers that we’ll see fledged young in a few months time.

“Staff and volunteers are watching the nest around the clock to prevent unnecessary disturbance, and we have spoken to our neighbouring estates about the birds so they can play their part in helping to ensure the birds are safe when they leave our reserve to hunt.”

The chicks are due to hatch mid-July before fledging a month later. It’s expected they will stay around for a couple of weeks before leaving the nesting site.

At this point the RSPB aims to track the birds.

If successful it will be the first time there have been hen harrier chicks at RSPB Geltsdale for a decade.

A pair bred last year but the nest failed during incubation after the male vanished while hunting. Faced with the prospect of starvation, the female had little choice but to abandon her eggs.

Wardens now plan to introduce diversionary feeding to ensure the hen harriers don’t have to stray too far from the nest when looking for food.

Hen harriers nest in the uplands and there are several hundred in Scotland but they are on the verge of extinction as a breeding bird in England owing to ongoing illegal persecution.

With the Government and landowners now officially committed to the recovery of the species through the Defra Hen Harrier Action Plan the RSPB hopes this season’s nests will be successful.

B LOB doesn’t matter if left off At RSPB Leighton Moss at Silverdale, Carnforth, the first young marsh harriers of the season have taken to the skies and visitors are invited to watch them in action.

There are three marsh harrier nests on the reserve there, with two chicks already having flown out though more young marsh harriers are expected to explore the reserve over coming weeks while a camera is capturing the action in one of the nests.