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Laxey Bay, Isle of Man: These raptors do well here, thanks to a lack of persecution. And this one is so remarkable I can hardly believe my eyesIt’s not every day that I see something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. My sister and niece are over on holiday, and during an amble along the coast we witnessed what will perhaps be the greatest ornithological sighting I will ever make from home: a ghostly all-white hen harrier.To see any hen harrier is a sight to behold, even here on the Isle of Man where we boast some 38 pairs – surely the highest breeding density across all of Britain and Ireland. On a summer walk in the Manx hills I would be amazed not to see one. But down along the rocky coast by our home I rarely see them. To be precise (being among the peculiar type who keeps notes of such things), I have only seen a hen harrier from home three times before, despite them breeding only a stone’s throw away. Continue reading...