Rare pallid harrier nesting in the Netherlands?

This video is about a pallid harrier in a nature reserve in Italy.

Since almost a week, since 3 May, and still today, there is a pallid harrier in the Oldambt region in the Netherlands.

This is an east European and Asian species, very rare in the Netherlands.

This video is about the pallid harrier male which is in the Netherlands now.

But now, this male in Groningen province has even started building a nest. He has mated with a female Montagu’s harrier (also not a common species in the Netherlands; but contrary to pallid harriers, Montagu’s harriers have a history of nesting in the Netherlands, especially Groningen province). If youngsters will fledge from this nest, then will those hybrid birds be fertile or sterile?

Ben Koks, of the Dutch Montagu’s harrier study group, says (translated):

“It is almost impossible, but the graceful Montagu’s harrier is a boor compared to a pallid harrier. During courtship flights, the pallid harrier does loops, flips, with and without corkscrew movement, and he also makes a beautiful sound”.

UPDATE 24 May 2014: eventually, the pallid harrier left Oldambt.

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