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Which Harrier? (1 Viewer)

Hi Harry,

Despite your ease with replying, you do not pass any opinion?

Can we be certain it is in fact a female, and not an immature male of some kind?

I agree that the black secondary bar seems enhanced as a result of editing or general video effect, but the bird also seems to show grey, plain areas on the plumage.

Bear in mind I'm viewing on my laptop screen, which has very poor colour rendition.

In most of the photo's the wing shape looks more like Monty's than Hen to me, and the underwings look darker at their bases too.

No-one has dared to call this as a Pallid yet, I note, and it would be a brave or experienced person to do so - but in my opinion, from the pics, it is a Monty's.

Sean
 
Hi Seamus,
Ghostly Vision said:
Despite your ease with replying, you do not pass any opinion?
Ah, but I'm not sure that any opinion that I may express may be valid given the evidence presented...that and I don't want to get it wrong!! ;)

Can we be certain it is in fact a female, and not an immature male of some kind?

I agree that the black secondary bar seems enhanced as a result of editing or general video effect, but the bird also seems to show grey, plain areas on the plumage.
I'm not 100% sure that it's not a 2nd cal male myself, given that the breast feathers seem to be mostly retained juvenile feathers in any case. If it were a male, one could argue that it was even less likely to be a Montagu's, given how 'lightweight' males of that species tend to be.
Purely on the evidence provided, I don't think that there's enough detail to enable one to establish that it was Northern Ireland's first Monty's, even if it was one!
Don't even start on Pallid...that would still be a new bird for the whole island of Ireland!!
Regards,
Harry
 
Thanks for all thoughts.

I'm a bit slow with computers so please excuse me - the chap who took stills from the video also has put the video footage on a CD as well. The quality is not as good as the original. It comes up as Windows Media Audio/Video File, Size 119 MB. I've tried to upload this but it seems to be taking for ever, so I cancelled it. Will it eventually work or is the file size to big?

thanks,
Zek.
 
I didn t vote but I would love to see that video, maybe then.

Oh, by the way, I watched my BWPinteractive: there is video material with both species.
And...Hen ad female does show this dark secondary bar in some angles!!
Oei! on juv Hen even often the stronger!
And..if we go for young male.. it shows much less broad wings than the female in the same species.
Could anyone tell us how to upload our video's?

Edit: This video cant be (the images could).
The secondary bar IS strong in the subject bird.
 
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zek said:
It comes up as Windows Media Audio/Video File, Size 119 MB. I've tried to upload this but it seems to be taking for ever, so I cancelled it. Will it eventually work or is the file size to big?
The file size is much too big for the normal BF system. May I suggest you upload it to a free filehosting service and post the link back here? Try http://rapidshare.de/ and press the Upload button to begin the process (there are other servers, I'm sure but this one I recall being mentioned on BF previously) - from the FAQ, it has a file size limit of 300Mbs

Back to the harrier, I'm stumped too (no real surprise there ;)).

Cheers,

Andy.

EDIT:- Correction, use 'Browse' to choose the file before you hit upload ...
 
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e.g. follow features are typical for Monty
- clear and distinct dark stripe in the base of secondaries (upper wing)
- clearly only two dark stripes and one broad white stripe in the secondaries (under wing)
- strong ”eyelid” e.g. pic #1-5
 
Andrew Rowlands said:
... click on the free button, bottom left, the page will change to one with a countdown timer, when that hits zero, a picture will load with a three number/letters - type them into the adjoining box and hit Enter ...
Umm, I meant right


:-C
 
Sorry folks - I still can't get it to work - it calls me a BOT and won't let me in!
Anyway I'm off now and won't be back to Thursday DV. I'll try again then.

Two things in life I can't cope with;
Harrier ID and Computers!!
 
Wont download for me says there is a free download limit of 5 times.

For me the body is too bulky for Monty but there again the wing profile and colouration looks good. I would say definately not Pallid due to the dark edging to the wingtips on the underside, a good monty feature. However not sure this dark edging is quite extended enough.

What about a cross Monty - Hen?? Sorry folks. But I do recall reading about a Pallid paired with a Hen in Scotland a few years ago, so it can happen.
 
gerdwichers8 said:
I dont know if any one understood it right, but the video can be uploaded.
And its good fun :t:

Agree that the video is good fun but I'm now going to leave it to wiser heads to identify the bird . ;)
Graham
 
I would like to cut out some photo's just to show the rounded wingshape. Its a nice bird to watch and in the shot I would like to show, it more resembles a Short-eared owl in body shape than a Monty.
For me its really priceless to have such video, cause I studied ringtail males Hen last winter (28 roost counts in 40 days or so in Febuary-March) to understand the balance ad female/first-winter female/ first-winter male.

Thanks.
 
It's an Hen Harrier, looks like a bird of the year, the facial shape still hasn't changed, it has the long narrow features of a young bird. There's plenty of Raptors, Ravens and Crows around that have primary feathers missing, shotgun pellets will do it, nearly every keeper will take a pot shot at an Harrier, especially after the breeding season is over!

It's too heavily built and broad in the wing to be a Monty's.

nirofo.
 
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