• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Corvid(s)/Raptor(s), West Yorks UK, really bad photos... (1 Viewer)

stevethehydra

Well-known member
Walking along the canal between Todmorden and Hebden Bridge the other day I saw two birds in aerial conflict, just over the edge of a wooded hillside. At the time I got the impression of a large corvid and a small raptor (maybe Raven and Sparrowhawk), but wasn't certain that the smaller bird was a raptor and not another corvid (maybe Jackdaw). However, when I got home and looked at the few photos I managed to actually get a bird in, one is clearly a Common Buzzard, while the other looks like some sort of falcon. I'm wondering if anything at all is identifiable from the photo with 2 birds in? (The Buzzard photo was actually a few seconds after the others, and the birds went behind trees and (re-)emerged, so there is a chance that 3 birds were present and B.b.buteo wasn't one of the initial combatants...)
 

Attachments

  • bird1.JPG
    bird1.JPG
    235.3 KB · Views: 84
  • bird2.JPG
    bird2.JPG
    49.2 KB · Views: 83
  • bird3.JPG
    bird3.JPG
    63.3 KB · Views: 64
The second photo is a Sparrowhawk. The first photo may well be two Sparrowhawks although rather hard to be sure from that photo
 
I know the photos are bad and I'm not expecting conclusive ID from any but the 3rd (Common Buzzard). But I'm wondering if it is possible to ascertain:

1) Can either Accipiter or Buteo be confirmed/ruled out for the lower bird in pic 1?

2) Is the bird in pic 2 (which I believe to also be the upper bird in pic 1) *definitely* a Sparrowhawk and not a falcon? (it seems to have fairly pointed wings with a short "arm", long "hand" and straight trailing edge, and I can half convince myself that there is a "moustache stripe"...)
 
Warning! This thread is more than 6 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top