Long-legged Buzzard
Buteo rufinus

(Above) Harrassed by a juvenile Pallid Harrier

(Above) Irkayya Farm, Qatar, 04 November 2012 (EOS 7D, 300mm f2.8 + 2x Extender)

This magnificent 'Bourneville' bird flew high out of the farm enclosure to the surrounding Jebel Desert where it was joined by a second similarly plumaged Buzzard. The two interacted, grappling feet and simultaneously stooping and stalling side-by-side. These represent the first ever records of this dark phase of Long-legged Buzzard in Qatar. Long-legged Buzzard is a rare visitor to the country.

Both young and adult Long-legs have yellow ceres (unlike in many other raptor species where cere colour differs by age), making cere colour redundant here as an ageing feature. Dark phase Long-legs are notoriously difficult to age, but based on the tail pattern and evenness of the edges and condition of the remiges and retrices - and because of, rather than despite, the solid dark trailing edge to the wing - I'd suggest this is a first calendar year bird.

Update (Dec 2012): My thanks to Dick Forsman for his confimation of the age as a juvenile (first calendar year) per the following features:

• "Full adults have dark irises (still paler brown in 2nd year), a distinct broad trailing edge to the underwing, with finer barring further in, and a similar pattern in the tail"
• "Juveniles show [as shown in the above images] this very broad and rather irregular barring to wings and tail" [as indicated in fig. 45 on page 294 of Dick's book]