Your day's wildlife

[gbb]

I saw this bird of prey this afternoon. I was quite a distance away and I first thought it was a Sparrow hawk but by the way it behaved I am not sure. At one point it was a stoop like display. To me the wings look too long. View attachment 124649

The bottom photo....compare the way the bird is slightly head high, slightly hunched back, straight tail, white collar which again is just visible in your bottom photo...Hobby perhaps..
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=hobby+bird+images&client=tablet-android-samsung&hl=en-GB&biw=800&bih=1280&prmd=ismvn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiav-CIgYrMAhUG1RQKHZIBCGEQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=lHv8jj6dhNvTsM:

Ive seen them over Rutland Water, often almost hovering at the brow of a hill, being held aloft by the rising warm air.

 

[nickyboy]

[QUO steve50, post: 4234232, member: 44061"]Looks like a buzzard of some sort, how high up was it, looking at that picture it looks to have a pretty big wingspan.

It wasn't a buzzard, they came over earlier and are very distinctive. I have just had a look in one of my bird books and the closest thing in there seems to be a sparrowhawk. I would say that it was flying about 100ft or more. I find the sizes given in books a bit misleading.[/QUOTE]

It's a sparrowhawk. It is too long tailed and the wing shape is wrong for a common buzzard. It also isn't in the falcon family as it's wings aren't the right shape and the sparrowhawk has a somewhat disproportionately large head which the bird in your photo has. To get a good idea of a falcon's wing shape take a look at @User9609 photo of a Merlin above. It's very different

The only alternative is a Goshawk, a much bigger relative of the Sparrowhawk. They are hard to tell apart in a single photo but Goshawks are much, much rarer so in all probability it is a Sparrowhawk

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

I saw this bird of prey this afternoon. I was quite a distance away and I first thought it was a Sparrow hawk but by the way it behaved I am not sure. At one point it was a stoop like display. To me the wings look too long. View attachment 124649

 

[Poacher]

I saw this bird of prey this afternoon. I was quite a distance away and I first thought it was a Sparrow hawk but by the way it behaved I am not sure. At one point it was a stoop like display. To me the wings look too long. View attachment 124649

There's a distinctly dark carpal patch on the underwing, which pretty much rules out both Sparrowhawk and Goshawk; they usually have fairly evenly barred plumage on the underside. The wingtip is black or at least very dark, in contrast to the inner part of the same feathers, and there's a very dark trailing edge to the wing. Quite a long tail, but a very short head extension, and the head looks rather grey. Any reason why this couldn't be a Honey Buzzard? All these features point towards it.

 

[Illaveago]

I think I am coming round to the idea that it was a sparrowhawk acting strangely a bit harrier like. A red kite took me completely by surprise last year, doing a low flypast, the first I've seen in the area.

 

[Poacher]

I think I am coming round to the idea that it was a sparrowhawk acting strangely a bit harrier like. A red kite took me completely by surprise last year, doing a low flypast, the first I've seen in the area.

OK, it's your bird. They do behave strangely at times, and raptors in particular can look very different from how they appear in books.
However, I stand by my comments about the dark carpal patch and contrasting dark trailing edge - they're not a feature of Sparrowhawks. That said, I'm not confident in my suggestion of Honey Buzzard either! See if you can lay hands on a copy of "The Raptors of Europe and The Middle East" by Dick Forsman. (ISBN 0-85661-098-4). It has superb photos, illustrating wide variations in plumage, but I'm still often confused!
Please send your photo to sightings@wiltshirebirds.co.uk and see what they reckon - you may have spotted a rarity!

 

[nickyboy]

OK, it's your bird. They do behave strangely at times, and raptors in particular can look very different from how they appear in books.
However, I stand by my comments about the dark carpal patch and contrasting dark trailing edge - they're not a feature of Sparrowhawks. That said, I'm not confident in my suggestion of Honey Buzzard either! See if you can lay hands on a copy of "The Raptors of Europe and The Middle East" by Dick Forsman. (ISBN 0-85661-098-4). It has superb photos, illustrating wide variations in plumage, but I'm still often confused!
Please send your photo to sightings@wiltshirebirds.co.uk and see what they reckon - you may have spotted a rarity!

Coloration is pretty good for Honey Buzzard but a couple of things rule it out. First is that the tail is too long and wings the wrong shape. Second is that there are no Honey Buzzards in UK at this time of year. They start to appear in May

Distinguishing between Sparrowhawk and Goshawk is a much trickier thing. Goshawks are effectively massive Sparrowhawks but without an idea on size it's tough. I always go with Sparrowhawk as they are much more common

 

[Poacher]

Coloration is pretty good for Honey Buzzard but a couple of things rule it out. First is that the tail is too long and wings the wrong shape. Second is that there are no Honey Buzzards in UK at this time of year. They start to appear in May

Distinguishing between Sparrowhawk and Goshawk is a much trickier thing. Goshawks are effectively massive Sparrowhawks but without an idea on size it's tough. I always go with Sparrowhawk as they are much more common

Yep, good point about the time of year! Earliest in Notts was 9th May, and they don't usually appear before late May hereabouts; a breeding pair around Welbeck most years. So that's Honey Buzzard pretty much ruled out. I still don't fancy Sparrowhawk with that wing pattern though.

 

[nickyboy]

Yep, good point about the time of year! Earliest in Notts was 9th May, and they don't usually appear before late May hereabouts; a breeding pair around Welbeck most years. So that's Honey Buzzard pretty much ruled out. I still don't fancy Sparrowhawk with that wing pattern though.

At the risk of boring everyone half to death (this is a cycling forum after all), I had assumed that the dark area on the wing was mainly shadow. I can't even decide if I'm looking at the underside or the upperside of the bird!

 

[Poacher]

At the risk of boring everyone half to death (this is a cycling forum after all), I had assumed that the dark area on the wing was mainly shadow. I can't even decide if I'm looking at the underside or the upperside of the bird!

Sparrowhawk it is, then! (Still think @Illaveago should send the pic to Wiltshire Ornithological Society and let them have some fun with it. Go on, they'll at least take it seriously. )

 

[annedonnelly]

This was actually last year, but it's some of the Newcastle Kittiwakes
*need a better camera*
View attachment 124599

You could take almost exactly the same picture today. Probably the same birds on the same ledges

 

[Illaveago]

Oh dear! I seem to have caused a bit of a debate. There is a sparrowhawk which usually patrols this area, he or she gets a bit upset when the buzzards soar overhead. I have a small picture of one diving at a buzzard.
The pictures I took yesterday made me think of harriers I had seen 15 years ago. It was one of the pictures I took showing a 3/4 view that made me think that the wings looked too long in comparison to the body. I think the dark bar through the wing is a shadow as it doesn't appear in the other pictures. As for size the bird was smaller than a buzzard, possibly crow size or slightly smaller.

 

[Illaveago]

[QUOTE 4235741, member: 9609"]I have the answer back, and I think it is a little controversial but she is going for a Peregrine Falcon .... hmmm, i have never known her wrong on these things before so I am going to go along with that too.[/QUOTE]

That is an interesting thought. I am a bit doubtful but I did see one many years ago and have suspected them to be here but they are very elusive birds. Last year I thought I saw one flying low over the grass area in front of our houses, but it turned out to be a Hobby after small birds. A lovely sight to see.
As for Perrgrines there are some at Castle Combe about 3 miles away as the crow flies.

 

[Illaveago]

I will keep my eye out for that elusive bird hopefully a bit closer. The pictures were taken with my digital Pentax K 10D with a conventional Vivitar 300 mm zoom lens so approximately equivalent to a 450 mm.

 

[Cubist]

[QUOTE 4235741, member: 9609"]I have the answer back, and I think it is a little controversial but she is going for a Peregrine Falcon .... hmmm, i have never known her wrong on these things before so I am going to go along with that too.[/QUOTE]
Great if it was! What a treat.