Juvenile Pallid and Montagu's Harriers

Pallid Harrier - juvenile female. I can't guarantee that I have identified all the juveniles correctly and hybrids are a bit beyond me.

Fairly typical wing pattern for a juvenile female showing barring to primary tips and indistinct trailing edge to inner primaries. Nice evenly broad pale collar but dark neck patch not as solid as many Pallid's and white below eye more extensive than some. Dark lores and pale crown on this bird. The head pattern of juvenile Pallid appears to be very variable.

Montagu's Harrier - juvenile female

Typical wing pattern for a juvenile female showing distinct trailing edge to inner primaries and darkish wing-tips with less barring. This juvenile showed less white below the eye compared to the above Pallid. Weak collar same colour as underparts.  

Pallid Harrier - juvenile female

Pallid Harrier - juvenile female

Pallid Harrier - juvenile female. Slightly stronger trailing edge to inner primaries on this bird but typically barred primaries and striking head pattern. Many juveniles lack the white boomerang at the base of the primaries. 

Montagu's Harrier - juvenile female. Dark trailing edge to inner primaries, dark primary tips and sparse barring in outer primaries.

Montagu's Harrier - juvenile female

Montagu's Harrier - juvenile female

Pallid Harrier - juvenile female. Extensive white below eye and slightly more stronger trailing edge on this bird.

Pallid Harrier - juvenile female. 

White base to hand standing out against well barred primaries on this bird. Birds flying at this height at count station one often get shot just to the south of the station. There is a good chance this bird was dead a few minutes after these photos were taken.

Pallid Harrier - juvenile female with a Booted Eagle.

Pallid Harrier - juvenile female in the early evening light at station one.

Pallid Harrier - juvenile female. Broad pale collar joining the pale throat

Pallid Harrier - juvenile female

Montagu's Harrier - juvenile female

Paler secondaries on this bird so whole wing has a dark trailing edge.

Montagu's Harrier - juvenile female

Montagu's Harrier - juvenile female

Montagu's Harrier - juvenile. An individual with well barred axillaries like an adult.

Montagu's Harrier - juvenile. The dark wing-tips and lack of barring in primaries points to a male. Iris looks relatively pale from this angle.

Montagu's Harrier - juvenile.

Pallid Harrier - juvenile female

Pallid Harrier - juvenile. Maybe male based on sparse primary barring (quite variable on both sexes though).

Pallid Harrier - juvenile. Maybe female based on well barred primaries.

Pallid Harrier - juvenile female taking a rest in bushes behind station one. A very dangerous place to be.

Montagu's Harrier - juvenile male. Lovely individual showing dark wing-tip, dark trailing edge and unmarked primaries apart from a few bars on the inner most ones. 

Pallid Harrier - juvenile male. Dark ear coverts not very deep on this bird and definitely not joining the lower mandible. The dark neck patch is also quite narrow forming a peg rather than a rectangle. Nice pale collar though and dark lores. Also indistinct trailing edge to inner primaries and obvious white base to hand. 

Does this bird show fine streaks to the flanks and if so is that a problem?

Montagu's Harrier - juvenile male. Less distinct trailing edge to inner primaries on this bird.

Montagu's Harrier - juvenile male. The classic male shape is already obvious.

Montagu's Harrier - juvenile male.

Pallid Harrier - juvenile male. Broad pale collar joining throat but rather indistinct dark neck patch. Compare different shape to Montagu's Harrier above.

Montagu's Harrier - juvenile male.

Montagu's Harrier - juvenile male. 

Montagu's Harrier - juvenile male.

Montagu's Harrier - juvenile male

Montagu's Harrier - juvenile. The pale iris looks more amber than the more typical pale grey of a young male. Quite a strong head pattern compared with many Monty's. Well streaked underwing coverts and underparts to this bird. Obvious primary barring reminds me more of juvenile female Pallid.

Fairly obvious trailing edge. The intensity of it can vary depending on light and angle so it isn't always safe to judge it from 1-2 photos.

Montagu's Harrier - juvenile male

Pallid Harrier - juvenile male. The collar is quite narrow and is peppered with fine flecks and it is also the same colour as the underparts so doesn't stand out as much. The cheek patch is deep and appears to join the lower mandible and the lores are dark (pallid). The white above and below the eye is relatively narrow I would say (pallid). The trailing edge to the inner primaries appears dark in this photo but it wasn't in reality. 

Indistinct trailing edge. Compact structure like a male Pallid.

Pallid Harrier - juvenile male. Nice broad pale collar and the deep cheek patch joining the lower mandible. Dark lores but quite extensive white below the eye. The dark neck patch is clearly spotted rather than the normal solid brown. Indistinct trailing edge to inner hand and primaries regularly barred to tip.

Pallid Harrier? - juvenile male. Striking head pattern with a nice obvious collar paler than body. Broad solid neck patch and deep cheek patches joining the lower gape. Dark lores and fairly restricted white above and below eye. A very striking wing pattern on this bird.

Very patchy underparts with visible streaking to whole underbody and underwings giving it a dirty look (similar to a Montagu's eleven photo's above). Striking black lines to the inner vanes of  primaries 9-6. Indistinct trailing edge.

Pale collar joining pale throat and front edge of blackish cheeks visible even from below.

Classic Pallid Harrier head pattern visible here. 

Pallid Harrier - juvenile male. Typical bird apart from large amount of white below eye.

Pallid Harrier - juvenile male.

Same bird as above. Broad pale collar but less striking mottled neck patch. Cheek patch very weak and white below eye extensive. Crown light gingery. A very compact bird.

Pallid Harrier - juvenile male.The broad pale collar and dark lores are about the only typical Pallid head features on this bird. Neck patch mottled and poorly marked. Cheek patch deep at the front but narrow in the middle and extensive white below eye. Crown was pale gingery. Compact shape.

Indistinct trailing edge to inner primaries.

Can't decide if their are a few streaks on the flanks or if it is just the way the feathers are laying.

Juvenile male Mon/Pall. Collar fairly indistinct although still present and neck patch only lightly mottled. I had it down as a Montagu's Harrier but wing pattern more Pallid like. 

Indistinct trailing edge to inner primaries and primaries not particularly dark tipped like many juvenile male Monty's. 

Shape like Montagu's Harrier with pinched-in waist and long tail.

Pallid Harrier ? - juvenile. Narrow pale collar bordered by mottled neck patch. Fairly deep cheek patch reaching lower mandible and dark lores.

Indistinct trailing edge and light brown primary tips like many Pallid's. Streaking to flanks or not?

Juvenile female Mon/Pall. Shows a ghosted Pallid like head pattern. 

Indistinct trailing edge to inner primaries and wing-tip light brown. Mottled underparts.

Juvenile Mon/Pall. Indistinct trailing edge and light primary tips good for Pallid. Head pattern showed a weak collar, lightly mottled neck patch, dark lores and very light gingery cheek patch.

Compact bird. Unmarked primary bases.

Juvenile female Mon/Pall. Coarse regular barring to primaries and lack of distinct trailing edge good for Pallid. A pale collar was present but lack of dark neck patch made collar indistinct. Dark lores and very pale crown.