tittletattler
Well-known member
Hi all,
As Harriers go, this bird is easy to identify although there are one or two anomolies which are either a result of digital camera 'burn-out' or aberrant plumage.
The following are based on my own observations and also Dick Forsman's excellent (and essential) Raptors of Europe & Middle East. I have referenced some of the points below to plates (photographs) and pages in that book. If you don't have this book, then shame on you!
1) The split dark bars on the upper wing secondaries are diagnostic of adult female Montagu's Harrier, ie, the bar across the tips of the secondaries and the bar across the bases. Plate 263 in Forsman.
2) The arm is shorter than the hand. Pallid would show an arm to hand ratio of about 1:1 and Hen would show an arm that is longer than the hand. This bird can only be a Montagu's based on this and can never, ever, be a Hen Harrier. (Page 186.)
3) Due to 2) above, adult female Montagu's shows long narrow wings which gives it a more falcon like appearance as shown by the bird in question (Plate 260). Hen would also show a broader hand and arm which gives it an accipiter like appearance. This bird clearly has a more Kestrel like profile - it can't possibly be a Hen Harrier (Plate 212).
5) The body structure is fine for Montagu's especially as the body becomes rather 'rakish' towards the lower belly. Hen has a broader body and often shows an owl like face (see plates 209 -212 in Forsman). Pallid harrier deepens at the belly rather than the breast. Harriers can look broader bodied just after they have eaten. Please look at R Fray's excellent photos of a juv Pallid on Shetland as evidence to support this (Surfbirds). The bird had just eaten a Lapwing.
6) The extremely strongly barred secondaries on the underwing (ie, pale, dark etc) show that this bird is an adult female harrier. The point of this is that this eliminates ALL juvenile plumages (ie from the nest to remex moult the following mid-summer at least). Second calendar (aka 1st summer in old money) male harriers all show solidly dark/faintly barred secondaries in the underwing until they begin moult. The central retrices would almost certainly have been moulted by June and would be grey if this was an immature male Harrier sp.
7) P7-P9 are long (P10 short in all 3 species). P6 would also be long in Hen. This bird would not begin remex moult until July at the earliest (but usually later) so this bird is definitely not a Hen Harrier (Plate 209). To suggest that a Raven etc has managed to damage both P6s and no other feathers is simply ridiculous.
8) The dark tipped inner five primaries eliminates Pallid Harrier (pale tipped). Also, the dark areas on the head and breast are all uniformly dark brown on adult female Pallid (gives it a 'hooded effect') whereas this bird shows some differences in shade between the brown areas. Adult female Pallid Harrier also shows a secondary 'bulge' which this bird clearly doesn't have.
9)This bird is even shown soaring with the the shallow 'V' in the photographs. What more do you want to prove the ID?
10) The collar on this bird does not seem to extend onto the throat wheareas it usually would on Hen and Pallid.
There are more features but frankly how much more is needed?
The features that aren't evident are as follows but note that this bird is 100% female Montagu's, I'm only pointing these features out as they would probably have been evident in the field:
1) Adult female Montagu's usually shows the heavier streaking of the three confusion species. I would expect to see heavy streaking down the entire body (Plate 261). Pallid is restricted to the upper breast which forms a loose pectoral band (with some faint streaks below on the flanks). Plate 234.
2) Barred axillaries = Montagu's. This is certainly the thing to look for, especially in younger birds as these feathers are oftened moulted in March/April before any other feathers are moulted. See this and last month's Monties pictures in Birding World. Also look at Sean Nixon's shots on Surfbirds from this spring of the Colne Point bird - the axillaries on his 2nd Calendar female are the only feathers that have been moulted, I think.
Nice find. Very easy decision for the NI Committee to make.
If anyone disagrees with the above, then please reference your opinions to photographs and text as I have.
Cheers,
Andy Lawson.
As Harriers go, this bird is easy to identify although there are one or two anomolies which are either a result of digital camera 'burn-out' or aberrant plumage.
The following are based on my own observations and also Dick Forsman's excellent (and essential) Raptors of Europe & Middle East. I have referenced some of the points below to plates (photographs) and pages in that book. If you don't have this book, then shame on you!
1) The split dark bars on the upper wing secondaries are diagnostic of adult female Montagu's Harrier, ie, the bar across the tips of the secondaries and the bar across the bases. Plate 263 in Forsman.
2) The arm is shorter than the hand. Pallid would show an arm to hand ratio of about 1:1 and Hen would show an arm that is longer than the hand. This bird can only be a Montagu's based on this and can never, ever, be a Hen Harrier. (Page 186.)
3) Due to 2) above, adult female Montagu's shows long narrow wings which gives it a more falcon like appearance as shown by the bird in question (Plate 260). Hen would also show a broader hand and arm which gives it an accipiter like appearance. This bird clearly has a more Kestrel like profile - it can't possibly be a Hen Harrier (Plate 212).
5) The body structure is fine for Montagu's especially as the body becomes rather 'rakish' towards the lower belly. Hen has a broader body and often shows an owl like face (see plates 209 -212 in Forsman). Pallid harrier deepens at the belly rather than the breast. Harriers can look broader bodied just after they have eaten. Please look at R Fray's excellent photos of a juv Pallid on Shetland as evidence to support this (Surfbirds). The bird had just eaten a Lapwing.
6) The extremely strongly barred secondaries on the underwing (ie, pale, dark etc) show that this bird is an adult female harrier. The point of this is that this eliminates ALL juvenile plumages (ie from the nest to remex moult the following mid-summer at least). Second calendar (aka 1st summer in old money) male harriers all show solidly dark/faintly barred secondaries in the underwing until they begin moult. The central retrices would almost certainly have been moulted by June and would be grey if this was an immature male Harrier sp.
7) P7-P9 are long (P10 short in all 3 species). P6 would also be long in Hen. This bird would not begin remex moult until July at the earliest (but usually later) so this bird is definitely not a Hen Harrier (Plate 209). To suggest that a Raven etc has managed to damage both P6s and no other feathers is simply ridiculous.
8) The dark tipped inner five primaries eliminates Pallid Harrier (pale tipped). Also, the dark areas on the head and breast are all uniformly dark brown on adult female Pallid (gives it a 'hooded effect') whereas this bird shows some differences in shade between the brown areas. Adult female Pallid Harrier also shows a secondary 'bulge' which this bird clearly doesn't have.
9)This bird is even shown soaring with the the shallow 'V' in the photographs. What more do you want to prove the ID?
10) The collar on this bird does not seem to extend onto the throat wheareas it usually would on Hen and Pallid.
There are more features but frankly how much more is needed?
The features that aren't evident are as follows but note that this bird is 100% female Montagu's, I'm only pointing these features out as they would probably have been evident in the field:
1) Adult female Montagu's usually shows the heavier streaking of the three confusion species. I would expect to see heavy streaking down the entire body (Plate 261). Pallid is restricted to the upper breast which forms a loose pectoral band (with some faint streaks below on the flanks). Plate 234.
2) Barred axillaries = Montagu's. This is certainly the thing to look for, especially in younger birds as these feathers are oftened moulted in March/April before any other feathers are moulted. See this and last month's Monties pictures in Birding World. Also look at Sean Nixon's shots on Surfbirds from this spring of the Colne Point bird - the axillaries on his 2nd Calendar female are the only feathers that have been moulted, I think.
Nice find. Very easy decision for the NI Committee to make.
If anyone disagrees with the above, then please reference your opinions to photographs and text as I have.
Cheers,
Andy Lawson.