That is height time for the migration of Western Marsh Harriers (Circus aeruginosus) around the Strait of Gibraltar. Those birds are heading south-west, a lot of them crossing the Sahara Wasteland to wintering grounds in West Africa. Others will spend the iciness months north of the wilderness, in Morocco and within the Iberian Peninsula, the place they sign up for the native citizens. Those migrants are necessarily western and central Ecu in beginning and others are Scandinavian. As with different raptors, the northernmost ones are essentially the most extremely migratory, they usually bounce frog the citizens to iciness south of them.
In contrast to the bigger, broad-winged, raptors, Marsh Harriers have lengthy and slim wings (with prime side ratio) they usually depend on powered, flapping, flight to get them throughout limitations, equivalent to the ocean. Because of this, they don’t mixture at slim sea crossings to the level that eagles and buzzards, as an example, do. All of the identical, just right numbers are noticed on the Strait of Gibraltar, even supposing those are measured within the loads, now not 1000’s as will be the case with the species that rely at the slim sea crossing.
A huge estimate of the Ecu inhabitants places it at someplace between 100 and 200 thousand pairs, with an obvious expanding pattern within the east. The biggest populations are within the north-east, in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, with just right numbers in Poland and Germany. Those are in large part migratory and can come with birds that fly south-west in opposition to Gibraltar. An estimate of the, smaller, Spanish inhabitants places it at round 800-900 pairs.
Aside from seeing them crossing the Strait of Gibraltar in spring and autumn, I often see Marsh Harriers in wintering websites just about Gibraltar. The outdated lake of L. a. Janda and the Guadalquivir marshes are favorite haunts. If I need to {photograph} them, and hides are very important for those skittish birds, then the web site of the Laguna de El Taray in central Spain is my primary selection. Right here, hides are partially dug into the bottom, providing nice views, and there are many Marsh Harriers all yr. If truth be told, on this personal property holds no fewer than sixty breeding pairs of Marsh Harriers!
So, even right here in Gibraltar the place I’m spoilt for collection of massive raptors of various species, and in massive numbers, the harriers are amongst my favourites. As of late, I’ve highlighted Marsh Harrier however passage additionally comprises Montagu’s Harrier (Circus pygargus), which I’ll write about on some other instance. To those we will have to upload a small passage of Rooster Harrier (Circus cyaneus), some achieving Morocco and others wintering north of the Strait, and Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus). The latter is the scarcest however persons are often noticed at L. a. Janda on passage and in iciness, and certainly additionally crossing the Strait of Gibraltar. Those birds might constitute the new westward extension of this species’ breeding vary.
