A EUROPEAN Union (EU) supported project to save the threatened hen harrier is launching on the Bowland Fells in Lancashire and the North Pennine Moors, which span Cumbria, Northumberland, Durham and North Yorkshire.

The five-year Hen Harrier LIFE+ Project will combine practical conservation and awareness-raising and education to protect the rare bird of prey for future generations.

Last year, hen harriers suffered their worst breeding season in England in decades failing to rear a single chick anywhere in England.

While they fared slightly better with four nests in England in 2014, natural deaths and the sudden, unexplained disappearances of three satellite-tagged birds, including two from Bowland, mean that only nine of the 16 chicks fledged are thought to still be alive.

Project manager Blánaid Denman said: “Hen harriers are in dire straits. Numbers are declining dramatically and urgent action is needed, which is why this European-funded project is both welcome and timely.

“Working together with volunteers and other organisations, we’ll have more eyes and ears on the hills than ever before, using satellite tagging, winter roost monitoring and nest protection to deter persecution, identify the important areas for these birds and highlight where they’re most at risk.”