It does look like some kind of lens flare, actually - an internal reflection produced by light from the Sun, most likely. The Sun would be somewhere off the edge of the frame to the lower left in that image, and the 'flare' appears to be in the same general direction. Note as well that there is some chromatic aberration on the 'flare'; blue at one end, red at the other. That is likely due to optical phenomena caused by the lenses.