PALLID HARRIER - more meat on the record

A little bit more detail on the Pallid Harrier sighting. Thanks Steve for putting out the news after I'd phoned you.

Laura (my girlfriend) was driving us to work at The Lodge this morning and we were coming down the hill on the road between Little Barford and Tempsford that runs roughly parallel with the A1. I was looking at the images of the Pallid Harrier at Gamlingay Wood on the internet, and getting texts from Steve about that bird - including the fact that it had been seen there early this morning. You couldn't have scripted it better...

Suddenly Laura said, "What's that big bird?" I glanced up from my phone to the right to get an eye level view of a juvenile Pallid Harrier coasting alongside the car, over the edge of the big undulating field between the road and the A1. She was understandably alarmed at my reaction, but soon got the message that we needed to slow down fast, so I could pick up as much detail as possible. Fortunately, its course continued to take it directly alongside us and the road, allowing me to run through the features, which were there in glorious detail at such close range. My `search engine' was also well and truly tuned in having just been looking at photos of Pallid Harrier - so that was handy!

This is approximately where it was: TL 16727 54739 and it was heading W/SW from there at approximately 08.45. Quite likely to be the bird from Gamlingay, but it is quite some influx we are having this autumn.

I always knew I didn't need a girlfriend who was a birder...

Mark Ward