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UK/Raptor ID please (2 Viewers)

Jane Turner said:
The problem with parallax is that the leaves and berries behind the bird look comparable in size with the ones in front
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Ah, I'd overlooked those ones. I take your point - and yield to the absoluteness of the hawthorn-berry relativity scale.

birdboybowley said:
The 'lace ribbon' is just reflective sunlit parts of leaves
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I thought more or less the same but interpreted it as feathers?? Are you sure the bird doesn't really have a "bonnet"?
 
Here is an "enhanced" photo

Think its a pocket Harpy Eagle now!
 

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coloz said:
I am sure there is some good artist's on here who could sketch this bird without leaves and branches and it just might help a little . just a thought cheers col
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I'm sure that Mr Baber will be able to do just that, and prove that it was indeed an immature goshawk (in a plum tree?) all along ....


;)
 
gradders52 said:
UPDATE
I had watched it for about twenty minutes. It flew up and down the valley beneath me, stopping occasionally on the dry stone walls.
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Anyone ever managed to watch a sparrowhawk hunting for twenty minutes?...

The behaviour sounds more like a harrier...
 
Is there any reason why its not a 1st summer goshawk in partial moult. Eye colour is right , tear drop breast feathers , moulted into adult back feathers. I am not so happy about the head barring though.
 
Well for sure it's not a male Hen with those streaks. But am beginning to see a Harrier resonance. Which bears out earlier comments about Owlishness to the face.
I first introduced young Goshawk to the mystery. I believe that needs discussion also.
The locale would favour both these species. But more certainly Hen Harrier of the female/young variety. As Jane states, the hunting behaviour is telling here. But a murdered Magpie smacks of Gos activity! The plot is thick here, and the photo evidence tantalising.
September may be a good month for a Montagu's Harrier to enter the fray. But this seems unlikely.
This is indeed a proper puzzle.
But my short-listed "perps" rest with young/fem Hen,and young Gos.
 
Hen Harrier

Kentbloke said:
I dunno but I reckon it's one of these?
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I think Kentbloke may have nailed it... then again what do I know!

Hen Harrier was always in the frame, right terrain, hunting behaviour, appearance! etc... just didn't look like one!
EXCEPT
Found this bit of an image which seems to correspond with the original, breast markings, yellow 'eye', yellow feet etc (size... 16 berries!)

Albeit still missing features like cere etc... but from what we CAN see on the original and this.... getting close!

There are other examples where the beak/cere is indistinct due to 'feather growth' around that area (light grey/same colour as beak etc).

Any votes?
g
 

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Morg said:
Anyone ever managed to watch a sparrowhawk hunting for twenty minutes?...

The behaviour sounds more like a harrier...
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That's a very good point! But I think there's still a plumage problem. All we can see of the upperparts are rather dark bluish grey, too dark and blue for a male harrier I'd say. Perhaps the colour in the image is not a good reflection of the actual colour. But I also think any male Hen harrier with colour that even and solid should be adult enough to have no breast streaking left. Just conceivable it was an adult male Montagu's, but how likely is that? And I've never seen one perched in a tree! No doubt it's possible though. All very puzzling still.
 
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