Ray Hooper, Aubrey Warboys and others had
been seeing a ringtail harrier in the Deadman Hill/Wallington area of East
Hertfordshire for over three weeks and it had been assumed to relate to a
first-summer Hen Harrier seen in early June. Aubrey however
managed to obtain a number of flight images of the bird, these being shown to
Mike Ilett and Barry Reed at the latter end of last week. Barry felt that there
was enough in the images to suggest 'Montagu's', and Mike agreed, and after some
lengthy fieldwork, Ray eventually tracked the bird down to the Wallington area,
where it has remained since Saturday. Mike obtained some excellent views over
the weekend (along with a large number of other observers) and the general view
was that it was indeed a MONTAGU'S HARRIER.
My first opportunity in visiting the area
was today, Monday 6th July. As luck would have it, the bird was roosting in the
same hedgerow as much of yesterday, that which runs from south to north from the
Wallington road down towards the A505. It was very distant and there was serious
heat-haze. It sat there from 0900-0950 but then flew north and flew strongly
over the A505 out over cereal fields towards Ashwell. Just under two hours later
it flew back and afforded the 15 or so gathered throng an excellent performance,
flighting from one side of the road to the other - at times, less than 200 yards
away. I eventually lost it from view at 1220 hours.
It was quite clear from its plumage
condition that it was a first-summer, the amount of apparent grey in the
feathering seemingly suggesting a male. Here is a set of images I took of the
bird in flight in chronological order - remember it is hot and hazy and the bird
is largely distant......
Montagu's Harriers have bred in this area in the
past and have summered with some regularity as well. This particular individual
seems rather site-faithful to this Wallington road area as I write, being best
observed from the gated layby about 100 yards in from the A505. It is often sat
in the hedgerow that runs south to north from the Wallington road towards the
A505.
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