Pallid Harrier photos

Here's some photos of the other Pallid Harrier that has been in Kylmäkoski during last days.
Thanks to photographer Jani Vastamäki for allowing me to publish these photos!
Klick the photos to see bigger version.

 

  

  

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author

Olli Haukkovaara

email: olli.haukkovaara @ proton.me

Valkeakoski, Finland

Not just one, but two Pallid Harriers!

 

Roni, scoping the Pallid Harriers

Today I did a new raptor trip with Roni. We started from fields of Metsä-Paavola and Käyrälä, saw there 3 Hen Harriers (Circus cyaneus), Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus), 2 Eurasian Kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) and Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus). Not a bad start, but did not find the one we were looking for. Yes, we tried to re-find the Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus) we saw yesterday, to get even better look at it and get perhaps also some photos. The Pallid Harrier was here yesterday evening, but not now, perhaps it was again few kilometers north from here.

So we headed to fields of Kurisjärvi. At first the place looked empty, but soon we saw first Kestrels, in fact 7 of them and then a harrier... yes, there it was again, the juvenile Pallid Harrier. But it was still too far for getting good quality photos, shame. It flew around the fields and landed. We lost it for about 10 minutes, but suddenly it popped up again, with another harrier following it. I thought first that the other one is Hen Harrier, but when I took another look at it, I noticed immediately that we had not only one, but two juvenile Pallid Harriers! Cool! And it was in fact Roni, who first realised that those hawks looked exactly the same. Not bad from 10 years old birder!

In addition to Pallid Harriers and Kestrels, the fields of Kurisjärvi offered us also a Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) and Marsh Harrier. Not to mention all other smaller birds...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author

Olli Haukkovaara

email: olli.haukkovaara @ proton.me

Valkeakoski, Finland

Pallid Harrier

 

Yesterday evening I received a call from my birding friend Ville Työppönen. He had found a Pallid Harrier from Kylmäkoski! So close - but so wrong time, as I had to do some bat research same evening in Pirkkala. So I had no chance to go twitching. This morning was also fully booked, because I had promised to take my older son to wall climbing course in Tampere. Oh well, my bad luck again...

Or so I thought. But Lady Luck was on my side this time. At 11 a.m. I received a rare bird alert; the hawk was still there! It took still several hours before I was able to push the pedal and drive to Kylmäkoski. My son younger Roni was with me, he was very excited to see this bird as well.

When we arrived to large fields of Kurisjärvi, we found out immediately that there's lot's of birds of prey in the area. First one was old male Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus), then Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). Suddenly I noticed that there's was a bigger hawk gliding near the Kestrel, It was far, but it looked very promising, definately a Harrier, but was it Hen Harrier or Pallid... could not say it's 100% sure yet, but the bird looked so interesting that we started to follow it. We jumped back in the car and drove about 1 kilometer. And there it was, pretty close to us, in good light, a juvenile Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus)!

Lifer! Yes! For both me and Roni. It took "only" 27 years to see this bird...

Later we saw also Common Buzzards (Buteo buteo), another Hen Harrier, Marsh Harriers (Circus aeruginosus) and more Kestrels. In addition to those, nice flock of about 40 Yellow Wagtails (Motacilla flava) and some 200 Eurasian Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). Kurisjärvi - Käyrälä fields are just now really worth visiting!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author

Olli Haukkovaara

email: olli.haukkovaara @ proton.me

Valkeakoski, Finland