What is this bird

[veekay]

I wish I could provide a photo but I can't but today I saw a huge white/grey bird flying low over the moor. It was very sleek with slim wings that had black tips. My other half has seen it flying over some half dozen times and we have no idea what it could be. We have looked in books trying to find some kind of similar bird with no luck. So over to you hope I haven't been too vague

[gleeber]

It's a male hen harrier.

[veekay]

Thank you so much Gleeber. It is a truely spectacular bird can't wait to see it again

[domino]

Sounds like a heron to me

[scorrie]

Herons and Hen Harriers are very different birds.

This is the Heron:-



While the Hen Harrier looks like this:-



Any of them fit the bill? (Pun intended)

[wifie]

Oh bad pun scorrie!
Herons are gorgeous to see - hope that is what you saw veekay!

[gleeber]

I widna call a heron sleek in flight and it's unlikely to see one on a moor. Alternatively it could have been some Asian rarity never before seen in Caithness . Its never good practice to identify a bird on such scant particulars. Ill no do it again.

[Kenn]

I'd go along with gleeber and domino especially if the moor mentioned was Causey mire/Westerdale way have seen hen harriers in that area a couple of times.

[Ricco]

Oh bad pun scorrie!
Herons are gorgeous to see - hope that is what you saw veekay!

Not round my pond they aren't! I know that I will be fishless if they are.

[veekay]

Absolutely and definately a male hen harrier saw him again to day he is gorgeous. We have a lady hen harrier around a lot hope to have baby hen harriers in the summer. Now wouldn't that be great.