All have characteristic black wingtips, some have pale grey wings and chestnut streaked bodies, and others chestnut predominates over body and wings. The adult males are more variable in their plumage than the Hen and Montagu’s Harrier, and overall tend to be darker. Pair of Marsh Harriers quartering their patch close to Parque Natural de Cornalvo, near Cáceres, Extremadura. They were there as the sun went down and again when it rose in the morning. What a privilege to have such a view as the evening drew in, watching a pair of Marsh Harriers quartering the immense field. Travelling between Toledo and Alburquerque, we parked up for the night outside of Parque Natural de Cornalvo, on the side of a farm track and overlooking wheat stubble fields. We once inadvertently flushed a pair feeding from a perfectly skinned hare. It will take small mammals, birds, ducks, and reptiles. It hunts by sight and sound, quartering its territory 4 to 5 metres above the ground, dipping and rising with the contours, keeping close to hedge rows and ditches, in constant patrol. The Marsh Harrier is the largest of the European Harriers. In Spain they are widespread, and we have seen them in the north, on the open plains of Tierra de Campos, and in the Extremadura. In the UK we have watched Marsh Harriers in Norfolk and Dungeness. Some are sedentary, others migrate south to Africa. The Marsh Harrier has a wide distribution across Europe and Asia. It can only be a Red Kite – pure pleasure to watch. Their long tails, pinched in at the body, have a wide spread to give them lift and supreme manoeuvrability. Everything about them spells speed and agility. In spite of this status, to us, they are still the most frequently seen raptor on our route south into Spain and Portugal. While in most parts of its range it has the dubious status of “near threatened” in the UK it was moved to the Green List in 2015 1. In the UK they are one of our success stories. Red Kites have a relatively small range, being confined to parts of Europe and North Africa. And so, even if you don’t often travel to Southern Europe, it may be worth keeping a note of the distinction as their number will almost certainly be increasing in the UK over the next decade. There are between 20 and 30 sightings of the Black Kite in the south of England each year, and it is tipped to be one of the birds most likely to increase in numbers and even breed here, as our climate warms. In poor light conditions it can be difficult to spot the difference, but the are a number of pointers that will help, including the fact that the Red Kite is a resident bird, and the Black a summer migrant, and so at least they only offer a tantalising challenge for half the year – see. Often it comes down to the overall shape and the j izz of the bird. In the opening photo the deep fork of the Red is very clear, but in certain modes of flight the difference is less obvious, as in these two pictures. In particular the tail of the Red is different colour to the body, and is forked. … but first, Red and Black Kitesīut for those of you who have the opportunity to bird watch in Southern Europe, the Black Kite will be the bird most likely to be confused with its Red counterpart, and indeed there are times when they can be very difficult to tell apart.īlack Kite Red Kite The important distinction between Black and Red is in the strength of the markings and the tail. Really there shouldn’t be any confusion here, except that both species can have a rich brown coloured plumage, buoyant flight, and the Red Kite will hunt in the type of terrain favoured by Marsh Harriers. Two interesting contenders on the course are Red Kites and Marsh Harriers. We’ve learned an enormous amount on the identification of such tricky customers as young gulls, waders, and warblers – and great fun it was too.Īt the end of this month (January 2022) we’ll be joining a course on British raptors, and in prep we’ve been brushing up on some of the finer points of identification. In compensation perhaps, we attended a series of excellent ZOOM courses run by the British Trust for Ornithology training team, Nick Moran, Emily Cuff and others. Over the last six months we haven’t been able get out nearly as much as we would have hoped. British Trust for Ornithology ID Training
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