Rare marsh harriers are making a return to south Scotland after reed bed restoration at Caerlaverock

A once rare raptor is making a slow comeback thanks to the painstaking restoration of their favourite habitat at a nature reserve in the south of Scotland.

Staff at Caerlaverock nature reserve on the Solway coast worked to expand and improve seven hectares (17 acres) of reed bed over four years in the hope of attracting marsh harriers.

The project was sparked by the sighting of a pair in the summer of 2019 which attempted to breed at the reserve but their nest failed.