Interesting Kestrel France - aujord'hui (1 Viewer)

rosbifs

PutAin STOP

• Oct 18, 2019

• #1

So I saw this interesting fella next to the road today. I tried to get a picture of its claws but cant see anything - I don't know whether that's a good thing or a bad thing - light not showing up against the body or black not showing up against wire! Anyway, the open face and no dark eyestripe ade e question the bird and the obvious longer central tail feathers....

Obviously, there are many anomalies at this time of year particularly as I didn't get the wings or toes.

What do people think?

 

Attachments

• 
  kestrel 18 10.jpg

  74.6 KB · Views: 230

Deb Burhinus

Used to be well known! 😎

• Oct 18, 2019

• #2

This is to my eye an autumn juvenile Common Kestrel. I think the ‘longer’ central tail feathers are so because the pale tips on the outer retrices are all but abraded away, so not sure if that’s very helpful. I see a dark eyeline extending from the rear of the eye (am I imagining this?) and darkish ear coverts - the face to me has the jizz of Common Kestrel, even without an image showing wing length ratio to tail length (or indeed claw colour!)

 

Nutcracker

Stop Brexit!

• Oct 18, 2019

• #3

Ditto to Common Kestrel; brightened the pic in photoshop, and a couple of the claws are visible, and are black :t:

 

Attachments

• 
  001.jpg

  289.9 KB · Views: 98

rollingthunder

Well-known member

• Oct 19, 2019

• #4

Overall too dark for Lesser imo.

Laurie:t:

 

tconzemi

Tom

Supporter

• Oct 19, 2019

• #5

http://blascozumeta.com/wp-content/...asseriformes/131a.identification-kestrels.pdf
I cannot see the claws clearly enough to make any decision and I find the face pattern interesting indeed: location would be helpful and more pictures if available

 

rosbifs

PutAin STOP

• Oct 19, 2019

• #6

I’ll try and play later I took three pictures but they’re all the same pose. I was trying to check on back of camera and he/she disappeared into the distance....

 

Nutcracker

Stop Brexit!

• Oct 19, 2019

• #7

tconzemi said:

http://blascozumeta.com/wp-content/...asseriformes/131a.identification-kestrels.pdf
I cannot see the claws clearly enough ...

Click to expand...

The outer claw on the left foot is clearly visible, folded under the toe, and clearly black - enlarged & annotated edit here :t:

 

Attachments

• 
  001.jpg

  342.4 KB · Views: 63

John Cantelo

Well-known member

• Oct 19, 2019

• #8

It has the 'feel' of a Common Kestrel to me. I wouldn't put too much weight on the apparently longer central tail feathers as, in my experience, Common Kestrel can show this feature at times (and, as Deb Burhinus has pointed out, the tail looks rather abraded). On the other hand from a photo like this, I wouldn't be 100% confident that the highlighted claw is actually black rather than sullied by dirt. Watching LKs regularly in Spain I've found it's not unusual for birds to show apparently dark claws (even when the claws can be more clearly seen than here).

 

PYRTLE

Old Berkshire Boy

• Oct 19, 2019

• #9

Nutcracker said:

The outer claw on the left foot is clearly visible, folded under the toe, and clearly black - enlarged & annotated edit here :t:

Click to expand...

Though the central claw on the left foot appears pale to me. The right foot also.

 

rosbifs

PutAin STOP

• Oct 20, 2019

• #10

Only other pictures I have.

The bird was in the Pyrenees. There are more and more records of LK - I'm not pushing either way just thought the bird looked different and maybe worth looking at.

One thing I was trying to ascertain was whether the markings could point to anything. I know when we had a LK in Luz the parcs guy had a 'ringing' report which documented tail patterns and speck patterns etc.

The bird was damp.

 

Attachments

• 
  Kes.jpg

  64.7 KB · Views: 20
• 
  kes 2.jpg

  78.9 KB · Views: 25