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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 มิ.ย. 2013
- This lovely male Montagu's Harrier was seen at the National Trust's Wicken Fen nature reserve in early May. I must admit, I was very sceptical that this was a Montagu's at first, because I was too busy filming it 'for the record' with low-spec equipment in order to have a really good think as to the species. I thought it was 'just' a late-staying male Hen Harrier.
Fortunately, my two friends, Will and Nikki, knew better and ID'd the bird with confidence in the field.
In fact, it would turn out that there would be a good few random and surprise sightings of 'Monties' around the region during that week, but it does not lessen the amazement we had at discovering (and reporting) the bird in our home county.
Less than 10 pairs of Montagu's breed in the UK every year... and so, without doubt, it is one of the country's rarest breeding birds of prey. The RSPB have it at 'Amber' on the conservation importance list and conclude that 'its (UK) status is precarious'. However, it certainly is not breeding at Wicken this year and, being migratory, was almost certainly simply passing through, hopefully to the more established and well known breeding grounds in Norfolk.
Suffice to say then, it was a lifer for me and my friends!
(Sorry the video goes on a bit... feel free to stop it after about halfway, once you've seen the perching bird close-up.)
Great footage. I did actually see this bird a day or so later, quite late in the afternoon and briefly. Thanks for filming it. A couple of other clear clues apart from the plumage, which I accept are not always so easily done in the field: "fingers" = four as opposed to HH five; apparently much more black on the primaries; much "floatier" flight than a HH; no white rump that a male HH would have; and the grey on the head is the same as the grey in the body, whereas in HH the head appears a darker grey than the rest of the body.
Cheers, Matthew! I think we were the first to see the bird and report it, but it's nice to hear it stuck around and that others got to see it beyond my record footage. And... many thanks for the jizz tips! I do hope I get another chance to see a potential Monty in the field and to recall your text on the plumage differences! FYI: my excuse for the awful commentary here was that the initial footage was from a videocamera without an eye viewfinder so I could hardly see the bird properly. Once I had swapped to the scope it was easier, but it was still digiscoping without getting my eye close to the lens. Fortunately, my friends were not fiddling around with gadgetry and could make a better judgement on what we were looking at. But I am glad I got a couple of decent photos for the county records though! Thanks for watching and commenting, John.
I just spoted one, a huge one!
Thank you very much! I must say, I was very lucky to catch it perching up. It meant I could get the scope on it and get some decent footage! Yes, Wicken's always worth a shot... especially if you can get to Baker's Fen - they've had all sorts of good stuff there this year. Maybe the return migration in the Autumn will bring a few more treats! Let me know how you do when you finally visit!
Thank you! Yes, Wicken is always worth a random shot, although it is quiet in midsummer. If you can't go in May (the best time!), it might be worth heading there in the Autumn for return migration. I like it in winter too because there's always a chance of three species of owls in one day along Harrison's Drove. One thing I would say though is: don't just go on the boardwalk circuit, remember to visit Baker's Fen to the south as well. Baker's has really delivered some fantactic birds this year!
We live in Salar Spain near Granada. We have this bird here now. Comes every year. Last year only saw one year before 4 xx
I would love to see this bird again! (And find any excuse to re-visit Andalucía!)
Maybe numbers are variable around your way then? But certainly, this remains a rare bird here in the UK... and perhaps may even be on the verge of extirpation. Experts predict the Pallid Harrier might be the next harrier to colonise the UK, as it is undertaking a westward expansion, but the Montagu's is really struggling I understand.
Anyway, many thanks for watching and commenting!
very nice capture! never heard of this raptor before -- lovely! thanks
They're really beautiful to watch, aren't they? Saw one myself a few weeks back at Lakenheath Fen, also a male, and their elegance is simply astounding! That is definitely a Montagu's harrier.
Thanks for your comment! Yes, my confusion over the ID is still a slight source of embarrassment! Very interesting to hear about the Montagu's sighting at Lakenheath, by the way! I missed that news and can only recall a sighting of one there from last year but not 2019. I can only get there on Sundays (when the train stops there), but I would still say that it is my main 'local' reserve... so it would certainly be annoying to hear if it was there on a Sunday recently on a week when I didn't go.
But anyway, I agree: they are a top bird! And I would love to see another one.
Cheers,
John
P.S. I have subbed to your channel!
How can you this Montague harrier and a male hen harrier apart? They look identical (to my inexpert eyes)
@@irena7777777 So basically for the males (the above is a male) hen harriers have less black on their wingtips, and Montagu's harrier males also have reddish streaking on the underside of the wing, something the hen harrier does not have.
As for the females and juveniles of these two, count 'fingers' on the wing edge. 5 fingers- he harrier. 4- montagu's harrier.
Thanks for the info!
Beautifull captures of a bird i just saw and filmed last weekend myself in Holland. I saw it catching and eating a small bird, which they are very capable of chasing and catching like my vid shows. Your vid shows more detail because it's closer. I wondered what kind of camera you used. I used a sony hx200v compactcamera and filmed it free hand. (look at my vid for the differences) If i may advise you, try using windows moviemaker to edit and to remove the inevitable clumsy cameramoves.
Sorry, I missed this comment until now. Well done on your hunting bird sighting! For this film, I used both a handheld Panasonic HC-V210 videocamera and a DMC-FS16 for digiscoping up-close with my birding scope. I will definitely check your video out in due course. Thank you for your advice on the editing but I have plenty of software that I could (and sometimes do!) use to edit out the camera moves! In this case, I think i was quite rushed to get the footage out so my friends could see it so it is certainly longer than it should be. The nature of wildlife photography is that you tend to need far more time to edit your films after you have got the desired raw footage... and I simply just don't have enough time to do a really good job for every upload! They are all "rough and ready"! Cheers.
Thanks, will follow your advice, thanks again.
There was a Montagu Harrier spotted in Cork Ireland this morning which is a very rare sighting.
How wonderful! Yes, rare indeed pretty much anywhere! I take it there's no record of any nesting attempts with that sighting? Thanks for watching and commenting.
How stunningly beautiful. It looks like a phantom in the early morning light. I’ve yet to locate one of these or see them with my own eyes. I want to see every raptor and falcon in the UK before I die.
Thanks for watching and commenting, and I agree! I, too, want to see all of the UK's raptors in time, although better sightings of some of the ones I have already seen would be good too! Good luck in your future raptor quests!
@@zeeox thank you very much and all the best to you too! I will follow your every upload :)
Wow!
Thanks for commenting Jack! I look back very fondly on this sighting!
Excellent footage, especially on the post bit... dead jealous, would love to have some footage like that, havent been to wicken fen for a fair while, must get back across sometime :)
Nice footage, we went to Wicken Fen a couple of years ago and we didn't see much at all, must give it another try now.
Thanks. I guess you're right... and later that same day, I think we saw a sparrowhawk on the very same post as well. But it was a very dark bird so couldn't be mistaken fortunately!
Cheers!
Thanks very much, I'll do that
Fantastic.
Thank you for your kind comment! And for watching, too! Best wishes, John.
Let me know when you do - and how you get along! If you live far from Wicken and want an update on what is about there to help you decide, send me a message!
Great recording thanks because I'm trying to find out a bird that I keep on seeing and it looks like that
Hi Ewa. Thanks for watching and commenting! So, where is it you saw your Montagu's? I guess they could turn up anywhere, like this, but they are a very rare bird in the UK... and a summer visitor only. They migrate to Africa to spend the winter and so none will likely be around now. The main bird to mistake it with is the Hen Harrier, where the male is also pale grey. Indeed, if you listen to the embarrassing commentary, that is what I thought it was, even though the season would be wrong.
Whilst still not common, there are far more Hen Harriers around in the UK, and they can be seen in the country all year round... although very much split between in the northern hills over summer (where they breed), and southern fens and estuaries over winter.
Nice.
Cheers! Yes, it's a bit of an odd one really... looks just like the (slightly) more common Hen Harrier (your Northern Harrier), but is a much harder spot, and only a summer visitor too. I tend to only see the 'grey' harriers here in the winter, so this was a pleasant surprise. I believe most of the world's breeding population of Montagu's is in Russia... but I'm guessing their local name for it must be a bit different!
It is literally 'grassland harrier' in Russia
Some very nice footage! I wish I'd got some good film of the leucistic Red Kite at Gigrin Farm two weeks ago, that bird was a real beauty, although nothing on this one.
I thought the White-tailed Eagle was our rarest AND largest, but it seems not. Lets hope they're in only temporary decline and will become a bit more numerous in the near future.
Thank you for the compliment, and for commenting in general. Yes, calling something the "rarest" is a bit clickbaity I guess... but I think it's likely due to Monties not benefiting from a systematic reintroduction programme, like Sea Eagles. Just 6 nests last summer in England I believe... more than the persecuted Hen Harriers, but there are a good deal more of those in Scotland of course. Shame you missed out on that Red and White Kite footage! Cheers, John.
I do have some grainy, jerky footage, I'll find it so you can have a look if you want. I bet 95% of these birds wouldn't be so endangered if it wasn't for people killing them for little to no reason. Heck, Red Kites used to clean up in London, hence the charming nickname we gave them for their service; the 'Shitehawk'. If they fed on grouse and nothing else, yes, I'd be more sympathetic towards the gamekeepers, but they quite simply do not
Footage checked, and video liked - good job, thanks! And yes, a weird bird really, so regal and yet embarrassing in its usual food choices. And yes, their constant persecution in grouse 'farming' areas, alongside the deaths of the more usual raptor suspects, is always saddening when you know they're probably more likely to attack worms than the fastest of the game birds! :-(
Thank you for your kind words in turn :) You should check out Gigrin Farm, although Elan Valley in and of itself is very picturesque. They feed the kites once a day at 2pm, and to get in close it's £6 per person. A bit high maybe, but worth it in my humble opinion. Best of luck seeing more raptors this year sir!
Yes, I have always thought about taking on a trip to Gigrin, if I am passing by! Would need to upgrade my camera first though, in order to justify the close-ups! (And I guess they have to charge that high, what with all that meat they throw out!) Thanks very much then... and the same to you! Sub returned.
Definitely a 'Montie' by the black wing streaks, especially evident as it lands on the post at exactly the 1min 28 second mark . . or was it indeed the wind ruffling its feathers . .? the mystery continues I guess . .
Thank you Chris! Yes, this is definitely a Montie and I knew it by the end of the time my friends and I were observing it. I left the original 'wart 'n all' audio in as I felt there was no need to lie about me not knowing the species beforehand. This was my first Montie... and last to date too, and although I see Hen Harriers every winter, I do not deliberately try and twitch Monties in the few places they are known to breed in England. My handheld video camera has no eyepiece viewfinder so I was unable to see such detail at the time until I swapped to my scope to use the other digiscoping camera I had. So, whilst the plumage detail is clear enough in the footage on a big screen, I would argue that it was very much not clear on the 2-inch wide flipscreen in the dark hide (with strong sunlight outside) that I filmed it on! My friends had the benefit of using their bins and scopes without silly cameras attached and thus had far better judgement with their naked eyes! Cheers for commenting!
I think I saw one of them at the bird hides in Manea, Fenland. I read they migrate in late Sept or early Oct. I managed to take some photos but it was far. I had a Nikon 3100D at 55mm to 200mm. I'm not sure if it was a Hen Harrier or Montagu's Harrier. I put the photos on the blog below, but I would need someone with a more experianced eye to check it. thelastdaysofthunderchild.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/did-i-see-male-montagus-harrier-or-hen.html
+colin “Retro Brit” powell - I am pretty certain your bird is a buzzard, judging by the photos. I am no expert on Monties (as this video proves!), and there is nothing to suggest you couldn't have seen one on migration in the location. However, buzzards do vary a lot in plumage and your photos of the bird in flight look very buzzard-like in terms of their silhouette (as opposed to harrier spp.-like) to me. Sorry!
zeeox A buzzard. Oh. We do get a lot of buzzards around, but I did not realise they had this type of plumage. Still thanks for the reply and info. Much appreciated. Maybe I'll come across one on another day. :D
+colin “Retro Brit” powell - no probs. I may be wrong of course but I'm pretty sure here. Please update me if you do manage a sighting one day... they may be rare, but they do like East Anglia!
Will do. :D
a copel of this birds live near me ,they are beautifull birds
Thanks for your comment, Bruno! I take it you don't live in the UK then? I would think many birders in the UK would be most jealous of anyone who sees this bird on a regular basis!
come here hehe