Pallid Harrier
Circus macrourus (Gmelin, SG, 1770) (2, 1)
Photo © Kris Webb
STATUS
Palearctic. Monotypic.
OVERVIEW
The first three records are as published in the BOU (1971) Status book.
RECORDS
1). 1931 Fair Isle Stackhoull and Midway, second-year male, 24th April to 8th May when shot, now at National Museums of Scotland (NMSZ 1931.127.1).
(P. Grimshaw, Scottish Naturalist 52: 1-2; H. F. Witherby, British Birds 26: 8-11; BOURC (1933), Ibis 75: 343-344; Thom, 1986; Dymond, 1991; P. R. Gordon & D. L. Clugston, Scottish Birds 18: 135).
History P. Grimshaw (1932) in the Scottish Naturalist, Vol. LII. pp. 1-2, says: 'A male specimen of the Pale Harrier (Circus macrourus Gmelin) was obtained at Fair Isle on the 8th May 1931 by Mr. George Stout, and sent to the Royal Scottish Museum a few weeks ago. In a letter addressed to Mrs. Stenhouse, who kindly conveyed the bird (and others) to the Museum, Mr. Stout presumed, and quite correctly, the name of the species. The bid was carefully examined at the Museum and compared with continental specimens, but in order to leave no doubt as to its identity it was dispatched to Mr. N. B. Kinnear of the British Museum (Natural History), who very kindly confirmed Mr. Stout's and our opinions, and pronounced the bird to be a second-year male.
Mr. Stout states that it was about the island at least two weeks before it was killed, and when skinning it he found the greater part of a Lark and Meadow Pipit in the stomach. These had been newly eaten, and had been "devoured feathers and all"....The occurrence of this species at Fair Isle makes an addition to the British avifauna, all four of the European Harriers now finding a place on the list....'
H. F. Witherby (1932) in British Birds, Vol. XXVI. p. 8, says: 'A male Pallid Harrier was obtained at Fair Isle, Shetland, on May 8th, 1931, by Mr. George Stout, and was sent to the Royal Scottish Museum. Mr. Percy Grimshaw, who records this event (Scot. Nat., 1932, pp. 1-2), states that the bird was on the island for at least two weeks prior to its being killed and that its stomach contained the greater part of a Sky Lark and a Meadow Pipit. The skin, which I have had the pleasure of examining in company with Mr. N. B. Kinnear, has some brown feathers on the nape and the back of the crown and here and there on the wing-coverts, while there are some feathers on the under-parts with very fine mesial streaks, and the bird appears to us to be in second summer plumage.'
Admitted nationally in their Ninth List Report as the first for Britain (BOURC (1933) Ibis 75: 343-344).
2). 1938 Dorset Whatcombe, near Blandford Forum, adult male, shot, 11th April, now at County Museum, Dorchester.
(F. C. R. Jourdain, British Birds 32: 150-151; F. L. Blathwayt, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Society 60: 184; M. J. Rogers and the Rarities Committee, British Birds 88: 505; Prendergast & Boys, 1983).
History F. C. R. Jourdain (1938) in British Birds, Vol. XXXII. pp. 150-151, says: 'It will be remembered that the Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus) was added to the British list through a male bird, killed on Fair Island, on May 8th, 1931, by George Stout, and sent to the Royal Scottish Museum (cf. P. H. Grimshaw, Scot. Nat., 1932, pp. 1-2 and Brit. Birds, Vol. XXVI. pp. 8-11). On April 12th, 1938, I received a message from Mr. C. J. Bellamy that a Harrier had been sent for preservation to Mr. A. J. Ponchaud, which had been shot in east Dorset, about twenty miles from Ringwood, and was available for examination in the flesh. Both of them had already identified the bird as a Pallid Harrier from the description in Dresser's Manual, but it was desirable to have its identity confirmed. I saw the bird the same afternoon. It had been shot on the previous day (April 11th) and still had traces of rigor mortis. Fortunately it was very slightly injured by the shot and the following notes were made on the spot.
It was obviously an adult male; eyes quite fresh looking; iris bright yellow, cere yellow, shading into green on sides. Bill very dark horn, darker towards tip; proximal part of upper mandible, bluish grey; edge of lower mandible, willow green. Feet bright orange yellow; claws very dark horn, nearly black. Weight between 14¼ and 14½ oz. Total length in the flesh 18 in., span of wings 3 ft. 4 in. Length of wing 344 mm. The bird was evidently adult or very nearly so; underparts pure white, no brown on nape. The shortest primary was the first, then came the 6th, followed by the 5th, 4th and 3rd (longest). The fifth primary was not emarginated on the outer web, and the fourth not on the inner web. The emargination of the outer web of the second primary was only visible after parting the coverts. The dark brown on the primaries was confined to the 2nd to the 6th, but only on the inner web of the 2nd and the outer web of the 6th. Middle of rump grey; sides and upper tail-coverts white, banded with grey. The sides of the head and upper-breast were very pale grey, almost white, the only characteristic which might point to its not being quite mature. Tail: middle feathers grey, outer feathers with wide bars of dark grey on white ground. It had no black wing-bar on the secondaries, no white rump or facial disc.
Subsequently the sex was confirmed by Mr. Ponchaud on dissection, and examination of the contents of the crop and stomach showed that the last meal had consisted of a chicken, apparently from the numerous feathers, a Rhode Island bird.'
Admitted by F. L. Blathwayt (1939) in the Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Society, Vol. LX. p. 184, in the Annual Report for 1938.
1950-57 RECORD
3). 1952 Yorkshire Hutton Cranswick, near Driffield, immature male, shot, 2nd October, now at Mortimer Museum, Hull.
(R. Chislett, Naturalist 78: 84; Eds., British Birds 46: 259; Chislett, 1952; Mather, 1986).
History R. Chislett (1952) in the new series of The Naturalist, Vol. LXXVIII. p. 84, says: 'A Harrier shot, one of two seen, at Hutton Cranswick, near Driffield, on October 2nd was brought by Mr. F. Wood of Sproatley to the Mortimer Museum, Hull, and passed to Messrs. Gerrard (London) for preservation. It was identified as a Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus) at the British Museum (Natural History) by Mr. J. D. Macdonald (J. B. Fay, G.H.A.). The specimen will go to the Hull Museum. This was an addition to the county list; but under Montagu's Harrier, Nelson describes distinctive features of the Pallid Harrier wing formula, as being possessed by a bird obtained by M. Bailey near Flamborough in 1896, which bird was also doubtless of this species.'
Chislett (1952: 324) under 'Addenda' says: 'Two harriers occurred at Hutton Cranswick, near Driffield, on October 2nd, 1952. As partridge shooting was in progress, and the game-birds were reluctant to rise whilst the harriers quartered the ground, a harrier was shot. It was sent to a gunsmith in Beverley, who kept it for Mr. F. Wood of Sproatley, to identify, by whom it was taken to the Mortimer Museum, Hull. Subsequently sent by Mr. J. B. Fay to Messrs. Edward Gerrard, of London, for preservation, it was taken by them to the British Museum (Natural History) and identified by Mr. J. D. Macdonald as an immature Pallid Harrier. It was a new species for the Yorkshire list of birds, and will be placed in the Hull Museum.' Accepted locally (Mather 1986).
NOT PROVEN
0). 1896 Yorkshire Flamborough, female, obtained, late autumn.
(J. Cordeaux, Naturalist 23: 237; Nelson, 1907; Chislett, 1952; Mather, 1986).
[Not in BOU, 1971; Ibis 134: 220].
History J. Cordeaux (1897) in The Naturalist, Vol. XXIII. p. 237, says: 'Montagu's Harrier. I recently examined at Mr. Bailey's a handsome female of this species, shot in the late autumn of 1896, by a fisherman, in very bad weather, on Flamborough Head. The outer web of the fifth primary was entire and not notched, and the inner and outer notches on the first and second primaries respectively one inch below the coverts.'
Chislett (1952: 312) says: 'T. H. Nelson (Birds of Yorkshire, Vol. I. p. 324), under Montagu's Harrier, mentions a bird obtained in the late autumn of 1896 and possessed by M. Bailey, on which "the outer web of the 5th primary was not notched; and the inner and outer notches of the 1st and 2nd primaries were one inch below the coverts". As such are features of the Pallid Harrier's wing formula, G. H. Ainsworth has rightly pointed out that this supposed Montagu's Harrier may have been a specimen of the eastern breeding Pallid Harrier too.'
Comment Not known to have been seen by a competent authority. Not acceptable.
0). 1942 Fair Isle No locality, adult male, seen, about 6th to 13th May.
(G. Waterston, British Birds 38: 230; Baxter & Rintoul, 1953).
[Not in BOU, 1971].
History G. Waterston (1945) in British Birds, Vol. XXXVIII. p. 230, under 'Notes from Fair Isle, 1939-45', says: 'Pallid Harrier - G.S. saw an adult male on 6th May 1942, which remained for a week. This is the third record for Britain and the second for Fair Isle. It may be recalled that G.S. obtained a year-old bird on 8th May 1931, which was present for a fortnight prior to this date. G.S. states that these two birds appeared to quarter the ground at a higher altitude than the Hen Harrier. The bird seen in 1942 was very pale.'
Accepted nationally for Scotland (Baxter & Rintoul 1953). However, this is not one of the three records stated (BOU 1971). Not accepted locally (Pennington et al. 2004).
Comment G.S. = George Stout, an islander. Not acceptable.
