Conservationists fear a rare hen harrier, which was tracked flying over Dorset, has died after disappearing in 'suspicious circumstances'.

Police are investigating after the young male harrier named Vulcan – one of five chicks to fledge from a nest in Northumberland last summer – disappeared in Wiltshire.

It was fitted with a satellite tag as part of the RSPB’s EU-funded Hen Harrier LIFE project, which enabled the nature conservation charity to track its movements.

Vulcan was tracked by the RSPB moving from Northumberland down to the Peak District, then through Hampshire and Dorset. On January 16, Vulcan’s tag sent out its final transmission, from an area of farmland in Wiltshire which is heavily managed for pheasant and partridge shooting.

The RSPB said Vulcan’s tag was providing regular updates on the bird’s location, so the sudden and unexpected ending of transmission is suspicious. Vulcan is the 11th satellite-tagged hen harrier to disappear since last summer.

Hen harriers are one of the UK’s rarest birds of prey with only nine successful nests recorded in England in 2018 despite sufficient habitat for over 300 pairs. An overwhelming body of scientific evidence suggests that the main reason for their low numbers is illegal killing associated with driven grouse shooting.

Dr Cathleen Thomas, RSPB Hen Harrier LIFE Project Manager, said: “When a bird you’ve been following since it was a chick suddenly disappears without a trace, it’s a crushing blow. Vulcan’s tag had been performing brilliantly, so for it to suddenly stop transmitting makes us very suspicious that something has happened to him.

“Wiltshire is not the only place where hen harriers have disappeared in unexplained circumstances. Since last summer 10 other satellite-tagged hen harriers have also vanished suddenly across the UK. There is a very worrying trend here.”

Vulcan’s suspicious disappearance may prove a hurdle for the proposed reintroduction of hen harriers to a nature reserve near Salisbury Plain.

Anyone with information is asked to call Wiltshire Police on 101 or call the RSPB Raptor Crime Hotline confidentially on 0300 999 0101.