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--047d7bd74da2b0653104d8219dea Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 I observed what I believe was a white morph Gyrfalcon along the open salt marshes around the Avonport dyke Sat 1 PM March 16 (45.124801, -64.262394). The bird was was 100m overhead and flew 'on a rope' roughly north to south, covering 1000m in about 5 seconds in an impressive power glide with no observable wing flap. It exhibited classic falcon shape, although somewhat stocky in the barrel; almost pure white underneath, with long tail, slender wings, with well defined black primaries and pointed wingtips. It was larger, more robust, and less angular than the breeding pair of Peregrines I had the pleasure of observing several times in the summer of 2012. However very similar in it's mode of flight, and profile similar but larger and not as sleek. Despite brisk(15-29 kmh) airs from the north there was clearly no bobbing or tipping in the flight that the gusts would surely induce in a lightly wing loaded Northern Harrier. No dihedral in the wing position. No blackness in trailing secondaries. No rounded wing tips. This, and the exceeding fast and arrow like passage, make me rule out a Northern Harrier, of which I am quite familiar. Nothing 'Buteo-like' it at all. As NAS Guide to Birds (Sibley, p.132) says, 'Unmistakable'. Hawks in Flight (Dunne, Sibley, Sutton, p145-150) was also definitive. Jamie Simpson --047d7bd74da2b0653104d8219dea Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div dir=3D"ltr"><div><div><div>I observed what I believe was a white morph= Gyrfalcon along the open salt marshes around the Avonport dyke Sat 1 PM Ma= rch 16 (<span class=3D"" id=3D"aid_location_latlong">45.124801, -64.262394)= .<br> <br></span></div><span class=3D"" id=3D"aid_location_latlong">The bird was = was 100m overhead and flew 'on a rope' roughly north to south, cove= ring 1000m in about 5 seconds in an impressive power glide with no observab= le wing flap.=A0 It exhibited classic falcon shape, although somewhat stock= y in the barrel; almost pure white underneath, with long tail, slender wing= s, with well defined black primaries and pointed wingtips.=A0 It was larger= , more robust, and less angular than the breeding pair of Peregrines I had = the pleasure of observing several times in the summer of 2012.=A0=A0 Howeve= r very similar in it's mode of flight, and profile similar but larger a= nd not as sleek.<br> <br></span></div><span class=3D"" id=3D"aid_location_latlong">Despite brisk= (15-29 kmh) airs from the north there was clearly no bobbing or tipping in = the flight that the gusts would surely induce in a lightly wing loaded Nort= hern Harrier.=A0 No dihedral in the wing position.=A0 No blackness in trail= ing secondaries.=A0 No rounded wing tips.=A0 This, and the exceeding fast a= nd arrow like passage, make me rule out a Northern Harrier, of which I am q= uite familiar.<br> <br></span></div><div><span class=3D"" id=3D"aid_location_latlong">Nothing = 'Buteo-like' it at all.<br><br>As NAS Guide to Birds (Sibley, p.132= ) says, 'Unmistakable'.=A0 Hawks in Flight (Dunne, Sibley, Sutton, = p145-150) was also definitive. <br> </span></div><div><span class=3D"" id=3D"aid_location_latlong"><br></span><= /div><div><span class=3D"" id=3D"aid_location_latlong"><br><br></span></div= ><span class=3D"" id=3D"aid_location_latlong">Jamie Simpson<br></span></div= > --047d7bd74da2b0653104d8219dea--
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