A SUB-adult hen harrier fitted with a satellite tag has been lost on moorland.

John, who fledged in Northumberland in 2016, disappeared at the beginning of October when his tag stopped transmitting in Threshfield Moor, North Yorkshire.

The loss of another juvenile hen harrier brings the total to six within 14 months across northern England.

This was John’s second outward migration, after staying in the same area of Yorkshire during winter 2016/17.

He went to Scotland and the Borders this spring and summer, before returning to Yorkshire in September.

Natural England is working with wildlife crime officers, local landowners, and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) to try and locate the bird.

David Butterworth, chief executive of the YDNPA, said: “It is highly likely that a crime has taken place on Threshfield Moor.

“The spotlight is once again on the Yorkshire Dales as a black hole for raptors.”

Anyone with information should contact police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, reference number 12170208338.