Sunday 17 November 2019

Martin’s Haven

Just a follow-up on what seems to have been a day of Hen Harriers on the Marloes peninsular.
We had one ringtail over at about 0900, and then a different bird at c.1030. The second bird looked identical to the bottom of Elfyn’s photos from the Mere. But the first bird was far darker brown, and seemingly almost uniformly so. But with a big white rump, so ruling out Marsh Harrier.

As for Richard’s feather, looks more likely to be Wigeon flank than Teal to me: Teal are usually more sharply barred, and brighter. Both make cracking flies for sewin!

Postscript: a pair of Teal dropped down onto Marloes Sands this afternoon at Low Tide, and stood just above the shore line, looking rather out of place. They flew off out to see within a few minutes.