Whilst
birding at Sabkhat Al Fasl Phil Roberts and I found an unusually patterned Eurasian
Sparrowhawk. The bird had large white spots on its mantle similar to that shown
by Northern Goshawk, but the bird was too small for that species and lacked the
typical obvious supercillium and face pattern. We did not get good views of the
bird just brief flight views as it flew along the edge of the reed beds and
landed in dead tree before flying off again over the reeds and out of sight (top two photographs).
The same bird was seen three weeks later (see bottom photograph) in the same place still showing the
white spots on the mantle but again was seen briefly and at rang before flying
off. This is the first time I have seen this on a Eurasian Sparrowhawk and we
seen many every year in the Eastern Province.
