Pallid Harrier reunion

If you think I am enjoying too many meetings with old acquaintances at the moment then I apologise and give prior warning that also my next post will be of the reunion kind.

A trip to Årnestangen yesterday was of the successful type as can be seen by my eBird checklist not least because for the second time this year I got to have prolonged and repeated views of a juvenile Pallid Harrier. During the course of my visit I saw it (assuming it was the same bird) on six occasions and it came close and some awesome photos could have been taken had I the skill and equipment for the job but as I was reliant on the superzoom to create my own digital memories I concentrated on catching video but the bird flies too quickly so the results are not that satisfactory and do not do the bird justice.

Long video of juvenile Pallid Harrier (steppehauk)

and a juvenile Hen Harrier (myrhauk)

the best photo I took of the Pallid which at least leaves little doubt to both species and age of said species

In between visits from the Pallid I spent a lot of time peering through my scope at a distant wader. It was slightly smaller than the Dunlins it was mixing with and appeared to have a clean white belly and a well delineated streaky chest. I really tried hard to turn it into a Baird’s Sandpiper (gulbrystsnipe) but in the end came, under a bit of duress, to the conclusion that it was just an odd Dunlin. There was nothing in its jizz or movements to distinguish it from the accompanying Dunlins and I think there was some faint streaking on the belly. This video accurately conveys the distant viewing conditions and perhaps helps to explain why I found it so difficult to make an ID.

 

Ruff (brushane) on the right and a wader that I spent far too long looking at on the left

A Great Snipe that flew up in front of me and showed well in flight means I have finally seen the species this year but it is hardly the same as watching them on their lek site. Just need to see Sanderling now..

only my second sighting of Grey Plover (tundralo) this year but they at least showed very well. In the video there is also a Bar-tailed Godwit (lappspove)