A BIRD enthusiast from Whalley is part of a crack wildlife team manning a 24-hour vigil on four fledgling hen harriers in Derbyshire moorland.

Bird 'minder' Simon Travis, 28, of Sydney Avenue, is part of a three-man team giving the chicks round-the-clock protection from thieves and saboteurs. The top project, aimed at preventing the extinction of the birds of prey, was launched by the RSPB at a moorland site near Buxton in the spring. History was made when the four chicks hatched in May, the first birds of prey to do so in Debyshire for 127 years.

Now it is a watching and waiting game to make sure they take flight, the former Ribblesdale High School pupil said.

Birds of prey are being illegally killed at an alarming rate, according to new RSPB figures. Ninety-six confirmed incidents of poisoning, shooting, trapping and habitat destruction claimed the lives of more than 80 of the UK's most spectacular birds last year.

With only eight to 10 pairs of hen harrier remaining in the country, it is time for drastic action, Simon said from his moorland caravan.

"It's pretty pathetic that people like me have to give wildlife round-the-clock security, but if we are successful the sense of satisfaction will be immense," he added.

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