Thanks to Sue from RSPB for this latest news from Brading Marshes. Ed
A pair of Marsh Harriers, breeding for the first time on the Isle of Wight at the RSPB’s Brading Marshes reserve this year, have successfully hatched chicks.
Reserve manager at RSPB Brading Marshes, Keith Ballard, said,
“I have been observing the Marsh Harrier pair for the last month and their behaviour has changed.
“In the beginning, the male would pass food to the female in flight and the female took it to a place away from the nest to eat it.
“Now she has started taking the food directly to the nest, which is a strong indication that she is feeding chicks.”
Joining the Egrets and Crested Grebes
The marsh harriers are not the only newcomers to breed on the Isle of Wight this year. A Little Egret and a Great Crested Grebe pair are also nesting on the Island for the first time. Neither appears to have hatched any chicks yet.
Keith said,
“Marsh Harriers can typically lay four to five eggs, and at the moment we do not know how many chicks have hatched.
“Usually you would expect a minimum of three but there may be more. It usually depends on the amount of food available.”
The Marsh Harriers are nesting right in the middle of the reed bed.
Keith said,
“The male comes in regularly with food, and the female comes off the nest and takes the food from him.”
Several weeks before first flight
It will be three or four weeks before the chicks get any feathers, and the parent birds then encourage them to fly – which is the only way they will get out of the reed bed.
Keith said,
“They coax them out of the nest by flying over with food.
“The fledged juveniles are chocolate brown with golden heads so they will be quite obvious when they do emerge.
“They have a voracious appetite and the parents are kept busy feeding them. They eat small mammals, and unwary waterfowl that are small enough to carry..
“It is brilliant that the marsh harriers have managed to breed here particularly as it shows that the correct wetland management has created the right conditions. It’s the first year that there has been suitable habitat for them.”
If visitors would like to try and see the Marsh Harriers they should pick up a northern trail booklet from Brading Marshes station and proceed to Laundry Lane.
Image: © Please Credit: Alasdair Grubb
