I was on my bike, riding down the track that goes across Reed's moss, when I saw a long tailed, long winged bird being mobbed by Lapwings. At first I thought it was a falcon, but then I saw its white rump and 'fingers' and I realised it was a ring-tailed harrier. Its wings were very slender, it had a very light flight and its secondary coverts and body were very rufous and unstreaked. It had Montagu’s Harrier written all over it!
It flew right over my head, chased by Oystercatchers, Lapwings and even a yellow wagtail joined in, and then it flew away into the distance, before turning and flying back again, allowing me great views. It was clearly a young female Montagu's! Then it headed off north, and was seen again about half an hour later from the Old Coach Road by another observer. By incredible co-incidence, the birder who saw it on the Old Coach Road phoned me last night on a completely unrelated subject. I had never spoken to him before last night!!
Both photos in this post are of a juvenile Montagu's harrier which was at Marshside in late August 2025.
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