Sparrowhawk (1 Viewer)

[Jane Turner]

where the photo from jane? i think the hybrid theory is safe here for sure - more saker than anything but impossible to I.D. !?

Photo was taken in April 2004 in Merseyside. Fine spotting visible on the front of the legs in the field.

 

[Edward woodwood]

I think we've discussed this already Jane?
so i'll keep out of this one...

phew!

Tim

 

[jonny h]

hmmm.... a mine field really jane. it looks very karge in the pics ( save the pergrine). maybe a gyr with a bit of something else ? you have not given your guess yet - and thats all mine is ! !

 

[London Birder]

got to be inclined to call this a Gyr X Saker ... thats my guess

 

[Amsel]

Kestrel - you are right!

o.k. you are right! Finally I have also joined the Kestrel-Fraction )! The flying bird surely IS a Kestrel (or to be more precise: Lesser Kestrel, for example, is not a 100 % excluded ;o)! Therefore I am now also quite surprised that some other birders, even from the local rarities committee, identified the Falcon as a Peregrine (at least at a first glance), too! Maybe you are the better birders!
I should also change my screen... On another monitor the colours looked quite different!
Conclusion: Shi...! *Amsel hangs head in shame* :-C
Nice to see that also other members of this forum got the same kind of humour and sarcasm as my own person! By the way: Klaus Malling Olsen never said that this bird is a Peregrine - he did not even had look on the picture , but it wasn`t me who alleged that he did so...
What else should I say? - Sorry & I love you! :-x
Tom :gn:

 

[London Birder]

ok, that's me confused ...

 

[jonny h]

perhaps klaus can sort our gyr x saker falcon coz i no i cant do better !

have ya seen the 3 waders london birder ?

 

[mjmw]

I'm with London Birder on this. The peregrine/hobby is a hobby.

Before I look at Jane's pics, I think the other pic is a Peg. Shouldn't Hobby have at least a good hint of a super', more 'joined-up', thicker breast streaks and a more distinct 'second moustache' (what ever its called!)...oh, and the streaking on the side of the nape is good for imm Peg too...Hobby should be clean here...

 

[jonny h]

Before I look at Jane's pics, I think the other pic is a Peg. Shouldn't Hobby have at least a good hint of a super', more 'joined-up', thicker breast streaks and a more distinct 'second moustache' (what ever its called!)...oh, and the streaking on the side of the nape is good for imm Peg too...Hobby should be clean here...

mw_aurora. are you suggesting that the small hobby-looking falcon in the prime hobby nesting tree is a peregrine? this falcon nonsense is getting out of hand!

 

[London Birder]

perhaps klaus can sort our gyr x saker falcon coz i no i cant do better !

have ya seen the 3 waders london birder ?

yeah, had the two centre birds down as Dunlin and the right hand bird as a prob Little Stint .... cant make out the bird on the extreme left ... see what you mean about long bills however in my experience of the blighters (Dunlin) bill length is fairly variable ... alpina birds aside ... sorry I have digressed

 

[London Birder]

RE: Xeno's pic : it's so obviously a Hobby it's almost painful ... I sometimes think people look 'too hard'

 

[jonny h]

agree that dunlin can be very different but i never felt the two left birds were ever dunlin. them is curlew sands or im a peregrine! (i preparing to nest on a tower near you now i stuck my neck out)

 

[London Birder]

agree that dunlin can be very different but i never felt the two left birds were ever dunlin. them is curlew sands or im a peregrine! (i preparing to nest on a tower near you now i stuck my neck out)

lmaooo... tell ya what, you could be right .... I appeared to have ballsed up a Mistle Thrush, what the hell do I know !!!

 

[Dave J]

Can't see that the falcon in Jane's pic.s has got much , if any Gyr in it. Nearest bird it looks like to me is juv. saker, though not quite right, so guessing it's got a little of something else in it. Haven't got a clue what though.

 

[mjmw]

mw_aurora. are you suggesting that the small hobby-looking falcon in the prime hobby nesting tree is a peregrine? this falcon nonsense is getting out of hand!

No..I wrote the words for a laugh...

So why is it so obviously a Hobby to your eyes?

Cheers Mark.

 

[Edward]

I wouldn't like to claim any expertise (that's asking for it on this thread), as I only see two falcon species on a regular basis, Merlin and Gyr Falcon, and separating them isn't rocket science. I have to say however, that I don't get any feeling of Gyr Falcon from Jane's bird. Obviously nobody's saying it's a pure Gyr but structurally it looks far too light weight, especially around the chest. No plumage features either to speak of. If it has Gyr genes in it, they don't seem very strong. Here's a picture of a real Gyr we saw last month, photographed by Yann Kolbeinsson.

E

 

[London Birder]

falconmews.com had some hybrid pics....bloody site won't open for me tho!

 

[London Birder]

I wouldn't like to claim any expertise (that's asking for it on this thread), as I only see two falcon species on a regular basis, Merlin and Gyr Falcon, and separating them isn't rocket science. I have to say however, that I don't get any feeling of Gyr Falcon from Jane's bird. Obviously nobody's saying it's a pure Gyr but structurally it looks far too light weight, especially around the chest. No plumage features either to speak of. If it has Gyr genes in it, they don't seem very strong. Here's a picture of a real Gyr we saw last month, photographed by Yann Kolbeinsson.

E

some of these falconers hybrids are odd critters though, some have 25% Gyr, some 50% etc .... we had a local escapee (jessed) around here a couple of years back which in the field appeared as a Pure pale morph Gyr ... it was recaptured and the owner informed us it was 50% Gyr and 50% Peales Peregrine ! .... never would've guessed it had any blood in it but Gyr

 

[jonny h]

mark, that is a hobby sat in a little decidous tree , probably hopped out of an old crows nest about 2 weeks ago as its a classic juv, its small and dainty, almost skinny! london birder right ya lookin too hard ! as for the big falcon well, i seen a white gyr once thank god coz the rest are too hard!!

 

[Edward]

some of these falconers hybrids are odd critters though, some have 25% Gyr, some 50% etc .... we had a local escapee (jessed) around here a couple of years back which in the field appeared as a Pure pale morph Gyr ... it was recaptured and the owner informed us it was 50% Gyr and 50% Peales Peregrine ! .... never would've guessed it had any blood in it but Gyr

Aye, you're right. I've even heard of Merlin x Gyr hybrids! Just glad we don't have any bird collections in Iceland. Any big falcon we see is a Gyr, any small one is a Merlin. Simple.

E