THE fortunes of a threatened bird of prey have improved this season, a nature conservation body has reported.

Hen harriers made 11 nesting attempts in England this season, and seven of them proved successful, said English Nature.

It means the birds' chances of survival have improved slightly since 2000, when there were five successful nests out of 13 attempts.

English Nature said the birds appeared to have increased their recorded range of breeding sites, with successful pairs breeding in the Yorkshire Dales and, more unusually, Cornwall, as well as in their more traditional areas such as Bowland in the North-West.

Chicks which have fledged successfully had been tagged, and several birds would be radio-tracked over the winter to find out about where they went, and whether they would return the following spring.

But English Nature said there was definitely room for improvement, given that there were at least 50 birds recorded during the spring.

It had been hoped that a few more pairs would breed, but this had not happened.

The hen harrier population is still perilously low and the birds continue to be persecuted.