Pathology points to sharp implement in Hen Harrier chick deaths
FOI-released reports on a 2024 County Durham nest found injuries consistent with stabbing, but no offender has been identified.
Five newly hatched Hen Harrier chicks found dead in a nest on a County Durham grouse moor in June 2024 had traumatic injuries that pathologists considered more consistent with a sharp implement than ammunition, according to reports released by Natural England after a Freedom of Information request.
The case was made public by Dr Ruth Tingay of Raptor Persecution UK on 16 October 2026. She said she had requested causes of death and post-mortem records for Hen Harrier nestlings monitored by Natural England between 2018 and 2026.
All five birds were submitted to the ZSL Institute of Zoology in London. The reports reproduced by Raptor Persecution UK show that two radiographs were taken of each carcass. No shotgun pellets or fractured bones were detected, while post-mortem examination recorded penetrating traumatic lesions.
The pathologists also considered and tested other explanations. Raptor Persecution UK reports that there was no evidence of disease or predation and that the chicks tested negative for avian influenza. The five apparently healthy birds died at the same nest at about the same time.
The published wording remained appropriately cautious. The reports said a projectile weapon was another possible explanation, but added that no ammunition was visible on radiographs or found during examination, making a sharp implement more likely.
The injuries were consistent with those that may be expected from a sharp implement used to stab the hen harrier.
ZSL Institute of Zoology post-mortem report
That conclusion is evidence about the mechanism of injury, not the identity of an offender. No suspect, arrest, charge or conviction is reported, and the available documents do not establish who entered the nest or why. The incident should therefore be described as a suspected wildlife crime rather than a solved case.
Hen Harriers and their active nests, eggs and chicks are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Durham Constabulary's public wildlife-crime guidance states that intentionally taking, damaging or destroying an active wild-bird nest, or taking eggs or chicks, is an offence.
Dr Ruth Tingay criticised Natural England, Durham Constabulary and the National Wildlife Crime Unit's Hen Harrier Task Force for not previously publicising the deaths. Her claim that the case had remained hidden is analysis based on the absence of a public announcement; no agency response was available.
The delay limits the practical value of any new public appeal. Potential witnesses may no longer remember activity around the moor in June 2024, and physical evidence at the nest site is unlikely to remain. It also prevents the public record from showing whether investigators sought information locally at the time.
Natural England's September 2024 breeding update recorded 34 successful Hen Harrier nests and 80 fledged young in England that year, but it did not mention this brood. Because these chicks died before fledging, their loss is not apparent from a headline total of successful nests and young produced.
The released records add a distinct nest-level incident to the wider evidence on Hen Harrier persecution. They do not show how frequently chicks are deliberately killed, nor do they prove responsibility by a particular estate, employee or land-management sector.
Raptor Persecution UK says it is examining other cases contained in the FOI response. Any further disclosures will require the same separation between pathological findings, investigative status and commentary, particularly where an offence is suspected but no person has been convicted.
16 Oct 2026
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