"Oh, Play Fair!"

Reunion Island Harrier (Circus Maillardi)

Sometimes nature just doesn’t play fair! Seeing rare wildlife is hard enough, but sometimes it wont sit still long enough to be able to get that magical photo. This is a slightly blurred photo of a Reunion Island Harrier (Circus maillardi). It is an endangered and extremely rare bird of prey with a restricted range, confined to the tiny island of Reunion, where it is thought to be only 500 individuals (ICUN). I was lucky enough to briefly see one on a visit into the mountains in 2017. I was able to get this single photo, before it disappeared behind the trees. I refer to these as 'ID shots'. One which allows me to look back and confirm it is what I was hoping my camera was pointing at.