New Years Eve - Northern Harrier (hudsonius)

Post date: Jan 01, 2011 4:16:51 PM

I'd put this visit off for most of the week due to the fog. A long range forecast two days ago had today down as "high white cloud". Well they got the 'white cloud' bit right, and the 'high' was OK if you were watching 'Ant News', so we set off in the mist and gloom and headed for Thornham Marsh. Cool and grey, we parked at the furthest car park and tip-toed through the dog sh** to the sea wall where a dozen guys stood looking westwards. Apparently 'the' bird had been sitting quite close in the adjacent field before flying off shortly before we arrived. It was not long before a 'ringtail' harrier got up a was quartering with a couple of Marsh Harriers, but it was a fair distance away. I continued to watch the bird, with very dark upperparts and reduced golden upper-wing coverts until it again dropped into the grass, even further away. After a further fifteen minutes the bird got up again and flew northwards toward the dunes where it was lost from view. Undoubtedly the bird, but not exactly clinching views, me and Dad decided to walk up to furthest stile on the corner to see if we could get better views. Whilst waiting, and having been joined by others, we had a couple of Stonechat, Common Buzzard and a Bittern, that got up from a ditch and headed towards Holme. The harrier was then seen going along near the dunes and unexpectedly started to drift along the footpath, heading straight for us! It kept coming, following the adjacent dyke but stopped short of going straight past, doubling back, before dropping awkwardly into the reeds on the dyke edge where it started preening.

Northern Harrier hudsonius. Full combination of plumage details look to be the order of the day with one of these. Here showing the dark head and neck contrasting sharply with the (now) ochre upper breast and flanks with little streaking to these areas and none apparent on the undertail coverts. The full pale neck ring was also noted.

Northern harrier hudsonius. In the dull conditions this was the best I could manage but it does show the six bars on the longest primaries and four on P10, the shortest primary as mentioned here. Also note the narrower central bar running along the secondaries. Still looking overall dark around the head with pale markings around the eye limited to just a narrow line above and a reduced crescent below.