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Autumnwatch Mobber... (1 Viewer)

snowcap said:
Hi Phil, an interesting looking bird indeed, but a pale Common Buzzard methinks.Although superficially resembling an adult male Rough-legged( clearly lacking the dark brown belly patches of a juvenile), it lacks the dark, lozenge shaped carpal areas on the underwing, having only a dark "comma" shaped mark.Also there are pale areas on the rear edges to the upper-wing coverts which RLB lack, but pale Commons often have.Although having an extremely pale tail for Common Buzzard, it doesn`t have the transverse bars present on the inner edge of the tail band as an adult RLB would have.The inner edge of the tail band on this bird shows diffuse dark markings along the feather shafts, pointing towards the rump.Also of course it doesnt have feathered Tarsi.Smart looking bird nonetheless.
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Cheers Pete.
Looked again frame by frame last night & concede. Very interesting looking bird though.
 
Surely can't be a Hobby given the time of year and they just don't get them up in the area, as someone else has pointed out only 3 dots for the whole of Scotland! I also thought Peregrine at 1st but probably Merlin is the more likley outcome that said wouldn't a Merlin look reallyt tiny againt a Golden Eagle!

now I've confused myself even more!
 
Clearly I am working on a different thought process to everyone else. I think that it is a Kestrel - that explains the short arm and long hand. The tail appears quite short at first due to foreshortening as the bird approaches, but it does appear fairly long as the bird banks away.
 
TringBirder said:
Clearly I am working on a different thought process to everyone else. I think that it is a Kestrel - that explains the short arm and long hand. The tail appears quite short at first due to foreshortening as the bird approaches, but it does appear fairly long as the bird banks away.
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Me too.
 
I think you guys have nailed it.

I watched this clip again and again after your comments.

It all seems to fit. Everything.

Thanks for clearing that up.

This is a Kestrel. :t:B :)
 
In NW Britain this Sept. I didn't take the photo, but I almost certainly saw the bird twice (not this close) and had real problems putting a name on it!

Other than what the ***** is that
 
Appears to be a 1cy Juvenile Peregrine, enlighten me.

(I asked about location and date in case you were throwing in something from, off the top of my head e.g Central Asia/April ;))
 
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Well - its long tailed and winged. Long-tailed enough to have to sit very close to horizontal on the ground, in the same way Saker's have to - Peregrines sit closer to vertical than 45 degrees.

The long tail shows a bit in the photo, though the long wings don't come over so well. The flight was amazingly whippy - almost Hobby/Merlin like, as it flew low over the sea. Peregrine is the default raptor here. This was a very very long way from being a typical Peregrine.


It has no arrow marks or spots, just streaks and a completely unmarked lower belly and undertail coverts (though you can see that in the photo, it was confirmed at close range in the field). It also has relative dark underwing coverts for a Peregrine. The cheek patch is an unusual shape for a local Peregrine and the moustache is rather thin, though very well-marked.
 
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It does look long-winged, can't really judge the tail from this one image, and from one image, it is always going to be difficult.

The other point I considered was Peregrine x Lanner Hybrid, but Falco hybrids are a nightmare, often back-crossed, sometimes a trio of species thrown into the mix. Just check google for hybrids on sale in the uk! If there is some escape probability, either from birds pairing up in the wild, or otherwise, I would imagine that only expensive tests would prove the truth, then of course you've got to catch the thing.

I imagine that with a fair few floating about in the Uk, it will only compound the problem.

I see some of the points you raise on juvs here, cheek patch, moustache, underwing coverts, unmarked lower breast on images here, though not involving the same individual - http://www.tarsiger.com/gallery/ind...country=&place=&order=lisays_paiva+DESC&sel=2
 
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rockfowl said:
I

I imagine that with a fair few floating about in the Uk, it will only compound the problem.
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We've had a large Hybrid Falcon round the cliffs here for a couple of years. It seems to really uspset the Peregrines. There have been many debates as to its parentage. I've a few pictures of it with Peregrines here. I would welcome opinions as we've widened this thread.
 
rockfowl said:
It does look long-winged, can't really judge the tail from this one image, and from one image, it is always going to be difficult
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Its also a small bird - at the bottom end of the range for male Per and extremely . I understand it was chasing hirundines at one point.

we do get a lot of add falcons - probably one a year - this is a putative saker x peregrine

http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=6865&d=1081069594

I do wonder how easily one of the birds below might get overlooked,and with another 8 months wear, how close the mystery bird would look to it!
 

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Chris Packham said on Autumnwatch tonight that they saw Hobby last week on Mull, so that's what he still thinks it is. Two or three Hobbies are recorded on Mull each year, and the odd Hobby is seen in November most years, so it is not impossible.

I still think it looks most like a Hobby, but given the relative likelihood and the quality of the images, would concede it is more likely a Kestrel.

Graham
 
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