Systematic
List
HEN HARRIER Circus cyaneus Fairly common winter visitor and passage migrant. Red List. Reports were received from just 27 localities compared with 43 in 2000; however, the actual number of overwintering birds remained stable. Düring the f i r s t winter Hen Harrier records by month, 2001 period between 12 and 17 birds were present (a similar number to 2000) and included four or five males. Single birds were recorded at 14 coastal sites between Benacre and Bawdsey in the early part of the year. . . 1 1 Multiple sightings included two Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dee at Minsmere on February 15th and four at Orfordness on March 18th (two males and two ringtails) and again on March 19th (one male and three ringtails). A long-staying ringtail remained on Orfordness throughout Aprii and was last seen on May 8th. On the Deben Estuary, another ringtail was seen to catch, pluck and eat a Red-legged Partridge Alectorís rufa at Ramsholt on January 1 Ith. Spring passage was noted at three sites; a male flew north at North Warren, May 15th, and a ringtail was at Slaughden Corner and on Orfordness, May 19th. There were two late-summer records, a male on Orfordness, August 25th, and a ringtail in the west of the county at Moulton, August 28th. Autumn passage did not really get underway until the third week of September when singles were reported from Minsmere and Orfordness. The majority of the migrants occurred in October and included single ringtails on two dates at Kessingland and on several dates on Orfordness. At Dunwich, two ringtails were present on October 5th. There were fewer reports from the second winter period involving an estimated 11 to 14 birds (12 in 2000). Reports of single birds were received from 11 coastal sites and a ring-tail was seen at Lakenheath Fen twice in November. Once again, roost counts were rather sketchy but December maxima included five ringtails at Dunwich Heath and two males and three ringtails at Orfordness.
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MONTAGU'S HARRIER Circus pygargus Scarce passage migrant. Formerly bred. Amber List Not surprisingly, the number of birds seen in 2001 was down on last year's exceptional total of nine. The two reports amount to a fairly poor total, although the inland summer sighting is intriguing. ^ Minsmere: male flew north over levels. May 14th (J H Grant). Shelley: male, Jul.20th to 22nd (A Gretton, J Oxford).
Montagu's Harrier records, 1992-2001
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Montagu's Harrier Peter
Beeson