Pallid Harrier At Last! And Gibralter Point Raptor Fest,Sunday November 8th 2015.

After the continued presence of the Juvenile Pallid Harrier at Gib Point,this is where i made my destination for the day.
 It was with some trepidation that i made the visit today,after missing 3 individuals in the past,coupled with that was my desire to see this stunning raptor.
 The journey south to Skeg,was broken only by a couple of hunting Barn Owls near Utterby and some worrying fog before reaching my destination.
 On arrival at Gib i paid for my all day parking permit and got the gear together before making my way to the Wash viewpoint.
 As it began to get light,myself along with a few other observers began to scan the saltmarsh area adjacent to our watch point.
 Plenty of birds kept us interested to start with which included 2 Ringtail Hen Harrier,1 a female and 1 a juv male and a Common Buzzard which hunted the surrounding area.
 As the light became gradually better and the sun came out and right on cue,the Pallid Harrier appeared from the north flying along the edge of the saltmarsh right past our viewpoint....yesss,you beauty!.We watched as it flew past and after a half hearted attempt at hunting,this cracking bird landed about 150m from our position.
 As it sat preening,the head pattern was as striking as i had imagined,with the white eye patches above and below the eyes and dark cheeks and the conspicuous pale collar really standing out even through the bins.
 After about 10 minutes it took off and returned in the same direction from where it had arrived,hunting the edge of the saltmarsh again before disappearing in the distance over the top of the Millenium Ridge and that was that.In flight,again,the collar and head pattern were the stand out features,with the underparts being less rufous than i had thought it would be,being more cinnamon in colour,but this bird was obviously in active moult with the tail and wing feathers becoming a tad tatty.
 What a cracking bird and as mentioned above it was my most wanted bird species being a bit of a raptor nerd.
 I continued in my vigil from the viewpoint along with several late comers in the hope the bird may return,but it wasn't to be sadly,so an early start certainly paid dividends.
 Other excellent raptor sightings during the rest of the day included at least 3 Merlin,2 Peregrine together,a cracking adult male Hen Harrier to add to the 2 seen earlier,2 juv Marsh Harrier and a single Short-eared Owl.
 8 stunning Whooper Swans flew south into the Wash and comprised 6 adult birds and 2 juv's,with those lovely trumpeting contact calls between the flock,one of my fave sounds in nature.Also overhead a few passerine sightings included 50 Siskins,2 Brambling and 9 Lesser Redpoll and this coupled with flocks of Pinks and Brent Geese,made for a great days birding.
 So what a cracking day out today and i made the long journey home through the wolds a happy birder after seeing my stunning target.

Stunning sunrise.

Distant record shot of the Juvenile Pallid Harrier.

Distant record shot of the Juvenile Pallid Harrier.

Distant record shot of the Juvenile Pallid Harrier.