identify this bird

[KennyB]

out on the rape yesterday when i saw this bird coming three fields away flying low it passed infront of me about 200 yds out, at first i thought it was a seagull

but noticed it was some kind of bird of pray, I must admit i have never seen this bird before and its baffling me to what it was

 

it was the same size as a seagull , off white in colour and had quite large black wing tips could not see its head to well as it was to far out.

 

anybody identify this bird

[beretta]

osprey

[M ROBSON]

I've seen quite a few Ospreys and at first glance they do look like a seagull, they have a kind of floppy flight.

 

Mark.

[Doggone]

could be a hen harrier or mature male marsh harrier, going by colours described. Also could be a short eared owl, which from a distance, fly just like gulls.

Andy

[Benellimelody]

Male hen harrier by sounds of it

[KennyB]

wel thanks for the replys, just googled the three birds mentioned, i would say the favorite seems to be the hen harrier and then a marsh harrier,

Are the birds out of there territory in the north london herts border???

Edited April 18, 2010 by kenny5406

[Doggone]

wel thanks for the replys, just googled the three birds me mentioned, i would say the favorite seems to be the hen harrier and then a marsh harrier,

Are the birds out of there territory in the north london herts border???

 

Hen harriers occasionally migrate through my bit of the country, we have any amount of marsh harriers, and a few years ago we had loads of short eared owls mopping up the wildlife as the washes flooded. This is just to west of Peterborough. Don't know about your particular area, but usually rare raptors are popping up in all sorts of unusual places.

Andy

[Beardo]

i've seen a Harrier before in Herts - definitely looks like a gull from a distance

[Catamong]

i've seen a Harrier before in Herts - definitely looks like a gull from a distance

 

Well, I've never seen a Hen Harrier in Herts, they're ten a penny in Northern France, but not seen one locally.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/isleofman/content/ima...0_6_470x300.jpg

 

It certainly looks like one from the description given..??

 

Cat.

[Beardo]

only ever seen one - on one of my farms that has a river and large marsh though the middle of it

[Chard]

Almost certainly a male Hen Harrier. They can turn up anywhere in the country at this time of the year, as it won't be on breeding grounds yet, just passing through.

 

Much rarer, but always a possibility, is that it was a male Montagu's Harrier. Smaller, slimmer and more graceful than a Hen Harrier, but again, could turn up anywhere at this time of the year

 

Hen Harrier

Montagu's Harrier

Edited April 18, 2010 by Chard

[KennyB]

yeap thats the one chard and cat, what a lovely site it was as well the way it moved so slow across the fields rising for the hedge rows and then coming back down acroos the rape was , shame it wasnt closer i might have got a pic or two on the phone cam, seems like i witnessed a very rare site for this neck of the woods only took 61 years, thanks for the replys lads