Common Voles Microtus arvalis in The Netherlands reached peak numbers in the winter of 2014/15. Numbers of Hen Harriers on a winter roost in the northern Neterlands did not differ from those recorded in the previous winter, when voles were much less common. The first birds were recorded in early October, the last mid-March (ring-tails departing earlier than adult males), with numbers peaking in January and February. The diet consisted for >95% of Common Voles, based on pellet analysis. Hunting forays covered a wider range than in the winter of 2013/14, when the birds were more often seen in De Onlanden (where Field Voles Microtus agrestis and waterbirds were taken).

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W. van Boekel, & P. Berghuis. (2015). Blauwe Kiekendieven Circus cyaneus in De Onlanden in de winter van 2014/15. De Takkeling, 23(3), 220–224.