Rare bearded vulture sightings highlight potential of Sheffield moors20 July, 2020 18 June, 2024 Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust are delighted by the news that a bearded vulture has been seen roosting in Sheffield’s moorland. The sighting on Howden Moors is only the second time this bird of prey has ever been recorded in the UK, having previously been seen in Dartmoor in 2016. Although the precise origin of the bird is yet to be confirmed, it is thought to be a juvenile from a reintroduction programme in the Alps and was initially reported in the Netherlands and Belgium before being recorded in the UK. The species is protected and there are thought to be between 600 and 1000 pairs in Europe. Keith Tomkins, Sheffield Lakeland Landscape Partnership Programme Manager at Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust was one of the first people to see the bird locally, following a chance encounter while out walking in early July. “Even from a distance you can tell it is out of the ordinary”, said Keith. “Its flight behaviour is quite different from the raptors I normally see, and when it came closer, the size of the bird made it apparent it was the bearded vulture. At first I thought it was being mobbed by jackdaws, but then I realised they were ravens which appeared small in comparison”. Bearded vultures are scavengers whose diet consists almost exclusively of animal bones, so they do not pose a threat to livestock or game birds. Despite this however, Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust are concerned for the safety of the vulture and other birds of prey due