Pallid Harrier breeding in the Netherlands

Family holiday in the Netherlands again, Three weeks on the waddenisle Schiermonnikoog means lots of time on the beach with Robin and her cousins, but also a day or two birding with my brother and my good friend Lazar Brinkhuizen.
As it happens a pair of Pallid Harriers is breeding in the Netherlands for the first time ever. It is kept secret, but I was so happy to get information about the exact spot and saw today adult male and female and three crisp juveniles. Difficult circumstances for photography, though. Anyhow, here are some results...

the male, very worn

female, always difficult to identify

and one of the juveniles

Pacific Golden Plovers on Herdla

Yesterday Egil Frantzen discovered a Pacific Golden plover on Herdla, a fulva as I use to call them.
He reported it on Bird Alarm and the local system. When he saw another one, he was confused at first. But it were really two cracking adult birds, with the important diagnostics well visible; grey axilaries, long legs, very long tertials, boldly, golden spotted upperparts and the contrasting black-and -white underparts as well as (in flight) a slight toe projection beyond the tail.
During the day they held together with a European Golden Plover and were easy to find for those who came during the day. I even heard one call (a bit like a Spotted Redshank).

Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva

the grey axillary visible on the right bird

the two birds together