Cheshire, UK - What is this raptor? (1 Viewer)

M

MartinSykes

New member

• Jun 19, 2010

• #1

Hi, I'm hoping someone can ID this bird for me.

I was out today when my father-in-law spotted a couple of these way up high. I luckily had my camera with me but even at full zoom (18x) it's still a small image but is hopefully enough. There was more than one of these so although I live very near to the Cheshire Wildlife Centre which does have a number of exotic raptors it's less likely to be an escapee.

They just seemed to be circling - it was a nice sunny day with decent thermals.

 

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nickderry

C'est pas ma faute, je suis anglais.

• Jun 19, 2010

• #2

welcome to Birdforum - your bird is a buzzard.

 

C

Cheshire Birder

Well-known member

• Jun 19, 2010

• #3

I would agree with Buzzard. This is now the most common raptor I see in cheshire.

CB

 

M

MartinSykes

New member

• Jun 19, 2010

• #4

OK thanks. I thought the wings looked too pointed and small in relation to the body to be a buzzard but the behaviour fits. We do get a lot of them here and the wings always look much larger and more rectangular.

 

C

Cheshire Birder

Well-known member

• Jun 19, 2010

• #5

MartinSykes said:

OK thanks. I thought the wings looked too pointed and small in relation to the body to be a buzzard but the behaviour fits. We do get a lot of them here and the wings always look much larger and more rectangular.

Click to expand...

When on a downward glide Buzzards will sometimes look more pointed on the wings, hence they look longer.

CB

 

Southern Frogmouth

Well-known member

• Jun 19, 2010

• #6

Martin, the wings look more pointed than normal because they are not being held straight and the primaries are being held together rather than splayed as a result. Sparrowhawk can also do this and conversely when a Kestrel holds its wing staright it also spreads its primaries a bit which makes them look blunt-tipped compared to normal (can also see this when it hovers, but it is difficult at that speed).