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Falco rusticolus? (1 Viewer)

B

Birdienamnam

New member
I saw this bird today, 21st of May 2017. It was bigger than the Falco peregrinus I saw just 15 minutes earlier.
It came flying from high up the mountains and started circling the valley looking for prey.
It had something about 10 cm long hanging from its leg ( string? antenna?)
DSCN9503.JPG

FSCN9507.jpg

DSCN9504.jpg

o:)

Birdienamnam
 
Looks more like some kind of buzzard to me. Not sure whether Common or Rough-legged, but perhaps someone can find out by brightening the pictures.
 
Sangahyando said:
Looks more like some kind of buzzard to me. Not sure whether Common or Rough-legged, but perhaps someone can find out by brightening the pictures.
Click to expand...
I tried brightening them in Lightroom - no luck I'm afraid, there's just nothing to work with.
 
Birdienamnam said:
I saw this bird today, 21st of May 2017. It was bigger than the Falco peregrinus I saw just 15 minutes earlier.
It came flying from high up the mountains and started circling the valley looking for prey.
It had something about 10 cm long hanging from its leg ( string? antenna?)
View attachment 627780

View attachment 627781

View attachment 627782

o:)

Birdienamnam
Click to expand...

High Birdienamnam,

You mentioned that the subject bird was bigger than Falco peregrinus and asked
If it was F.rusticolus, also that the bird was circling the valley. I assumed correctly or incorrectly, that you would have been aware of the "fundamental" difference in shape and structure between Falcon and Buteo...can you comment?

Cheers
 
P.Sunesen said:
The tail is not at all right. Too short and not broad enough at base.

The wings are wrong too (a/o arm too long)

It's a Rough-legged Buzzard.

And here's a true Gyr

http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures/birds_user_uploads/54619_UU_47609_Jagtfalk_collage.jpg

Peter
Click to expand...
Just to add some more written explanation to this, the wings of the bird in the OP look pretty long (RLB has longer wings than Gyrfalcon, particularly relative to weight), and there is a distinctive kink in the hand beyond the actual carpal joint, which does not at all fit with the wing structure of a (Holarctic) falcon species.
 
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Another pointless debate based on terrible phots, what a surprise!

Honestly guys, what IS the point?

When you can't agree if it's a Falco or Buteo it's time to stop.
 
andyadcock said:
Another pointless debate based on terrible phots, what a surprise!

Honestly guys, what IS the point?

When you can't agree if it's a Falco or Buteo it's time to stop.
Click to expand...
Who says we can't agree? Peter's ID is perfectly valid, and in any case it's not a falcon. Or a Honey Buzzard.
 
andyadcock said:
The truth is that with certainty, you can't say what it is, with respect to Peter, Buzzard is the safe, default option.


A
Click to expand...
Well, why don't we let the local raptor experts comment on that? As I said, in any case we've learned that it's a buzzard and not a Gyr, which will help the OP. So I don't quite get what your point is here.
 
Sangahyando said:
Well, why don't we let the local raptor experts comment on that? As I said, in any case we've learned that it's a buzzard and not a Gyr, which will help the OP. So I don't quite get what your point is here.
Click to expand...

My point, is that there are too many bad photos getting posted which leads to pointless debate and ends up with an ID based mainly on probability most often.

Engaging in these threads just encourages people to post worse and worse pictures, unless there's a chance that the bird may be an extreme rarity or significant record, it's a waste of everyones time.

'Expert' comment is becoming the 'go to' way for some to identify their birds, they learn nothing and don't even make an effort to ID it for themselves. It makes people lazy and does not, in most cases, improve the birder.

What we have learned from these threads is that there are some poor birders out there and some even worse photographers!

A lot more would be learned by posting decent images that we could all learn from instead of a blurry, distant bird at an oblique angle that could basically be almost anything.

The problem it seems to me, is that some, cannot reconcile themselves with the idea of an unidentifiable image, ego? This particular bird may even be a falconers escape if that is jesses hanging below it?

A
 
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Well, I'm inclined to give the OP the benefit of the doubt, seeing as he is a new poster. Also, you seem to be forgetting that with some cameras (i.e. what most people, including myself, can afford), photographing birds is just a challenging task irrespective of birding skill level, and one can be lucky to get a picture at all. Especially with raptors, seeing how they are often shy and distant, and move so quickly.
 
Sangahyando said:
Well, I'm inclined to give the OP the benefit of the doubt, seeing as he is a new poster. Also, you seem to be forgetting that with some cameras (i.e. what most people, including myself, can afford), photographing birds is just a challenging task irrespective of birding skill level, and one can be lucky to get a picture at all. Especially with raptors, seeing how they are often shy and distant, and move so quickly.
Click to expand...

So what's wrong with simply saying 'a definite ID is not possible from this image'?

I have shots from my recent trip to Costa Rica that I can't ID but I know, from the quality of the shots, that no one could ID them with certainty either so I don't post them.

A
 
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Sangahyando said:
Who says we can't agree? Peter's ID is perfectly valid, and in any case it's not a falcon. Or a Honey Buzzard.
Click to expand...

Careful, we can do without more threats of legal action arising from the posting of dodgy digital images! I agree wholeheartedly with Andy, birders should spend time watching their birds properly in order to help secure a good ID rather than wasting time fumbling to get a distant, blurry image that is no use for anything. In that way birders will gather more information and learn more about the bird than how to operate their camera! No one can put a name to every single thing they see - learn to get over it and move on.
 
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Rotherbirder said:
Careful, we can do without more threats of legal action arising from the posting of dodgy digital images! I agree wholeheartedly with Andy, birders should spend time watching their birds properly in order to help secure a good ID rather than wasting time fumbling to get a distant, blurry image that is no use for anything. In that way birders will gather more information and plearn more about the bird than how to operate their camera! No one can put a name to every single thing they see - learn to get over it and move on.
Click to expand...

Despite his little attempt at a personal insult, I don't take it seriously from someone who's afraid to put his own name to opinions and instead uses a Tolkien character.



A
 
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andyadcock said:
Despite his little attempt at a personal insult, I don't take it seriously from someone who's afraid to put his own name to opinions and instead uses a Tolkien character.



A
Click to expand...
Well, you know, not all of us are wealthy pensioners who can afford to openly post their opinions on worldly matters online. Although even I have been known to attach my name to posts on this forum.

In any case, I'm not the one who hijacked the first thread of a new member with the original intention of settling a dispute with other members from a previous thread, or to complain about the OP. I think your way of welcoming newbies is pretty rude.
 
Sangahyando said:
Well, you know, not all of us are wealthy pensioners who can afford to openly post their opinions on worldly matters online. Although even I have been known to attach my name to posts on this forum.

In any case, I'm not the one who hijacked the first thread of a new member with the original intention of settling a dispute with other members from a previous thread, or to complain about the OP. I think your way of welcoming newbies is pretty rude.
Click to expand...

Which dispute, I accepted that my initial impression of the other bird was wrong? Do you really think you're doing new birders any favours by kidding yourself that you can ID shots like this? It just means that people post more terrible photos, people need to have a realistic grasp of what is possible to ID and people like you who have to put a name on everything, don't make that possible.

If you ever have the balls to post under your own name, I may worry about what you think.

Whose the wealthy pensioner, I wish it was me?
 
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Andy, I don't subscribe to the view that the OP pics are nearly as poor as some of those in other recent threads.

For me it's perfectly safe to identify the gliding raptor as a long-winged buteo (and in Kiruna there's but one).

Peter
 
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