The
new book by Stephen Debus tells pretty much all you need to know about
identifying these things. The colour pattern of harriers vary a lot by age
(Spotted) and age and sex (Swamp), so can be confusing. Long ago
Stephen Debus told me that at all plumage stages, the Spotted Harrier always has
spots, speckles or uneven colour pattern on the feathers along the forearm
(upperside) - (think of where a Black-shouldered Kite is black - which is not on
the shoulders - noting that Stephen Debus' book often wrongly uses the word
"shoulders"). In contrast at all plumage stages, the Swamp Harrier is rather
even coloured on these parts. There are other differences. Spotted Harrier
wing tips are almost black, Swamp Harrier wing tips are darker than the rest of
the underwing but not black (except maybe the juveniles).
Philip
Duncan
At about 2:00 pm yesterday I watched a
juvenile Spotted Harrier hunting low, and occasionally landing, along a stretch
of Ginninderra Creek in the south-west corner of Flynn (near the intersection of
Ginninderra and Kingsford-Smith Drives - about -35.215638,
149.042768).
Daryl
On 8/05/2013 12:04 PM, Duncan McCaskill
wrote:
A largish raptor flew over my garden in Giralang this morning. It
was generally light brown with very dark tips to outer wing feathers
underneath. My best guess from the guide books is a juvenile Spotted Harrier.
It wasn't the Whistling Kite which has been around here a few times lately nor
was a mature Spotted Harrier. At first it was flying below tree top level but
went higher under harassment from 5 or so magpies.
This was at about 11:15 and the bird was heading south over Lawson
towards Belconnen.
Is there anything else that might meet that description? A light Swamp
Harrier?
Duncan.
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