Bird ID - The Douro River, Portugal, July 28-31st 2022. (1 Viewer)

[Jamkat]

Hi,

I wonder if experts out there can ID these birds, mainly birds of prey I witnessed on the Douro river recently. I am sorry the quality of the images are not great, as I had a small lens.

I think 1 is an osprey. 2& 3 are the same bird, but from different angles. I think 4 & 5 are the same, and 8 is possibly the same as 5.

Thanks in anticipation.

 

[tconzemi]

Osprey, Crag Martin and Black Kites

 

[THE_FERN]

Osprey, Crag Martin and Black Kites

Agree. All except the first are kites

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello,

do you have more pictures of the Osprey? I must admit, although I cant find hard features against it, I dont get an Osprey-vibe from this bird.
Is it the quite uniform dark head? Is any dark pattern on the underparts centered to the (rear) vent?
Can a Common Buzzard be excluded here?

 

[jogresh]

How about Short Toed Eagle for Numero Um? 🤔🦆

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Number one is a moulting Booted eagle.

edit: having had a look again on a bigger screen, I agree with @jogresh - looks like STE.

 

[THE_FERN]

Number one is a moulting Booted eagle.

edit: having had a look again on a bigger screen, I agree with @jogresh - looks like STE.

y me too. Looked like osprey on a phone ...

 

[Gladiator96]

I am leaning more towards Osprey than STE, but I don't think it is possible to be 100% sure from this photo. Ospreys do have dark feathering on the head and the underwings look better for Osprey to me.

 

[jogresh]

Hmm u could be right.. that "M" shape is for me, a feature of distant head-on Ospreys, sorry I think I might be now in the Osprey camp 🤔🦆🦆

 

[KenM]

How can it possibly be an Osprey with a tail that long?….they’ve got one of the shortest tails amongst the BOPS! 😮

 

[Jamkat]

Osprey, Crag Martin and Black Kites

Hi Tom, Thanks for your reply. Looks like there's a dispute over whether that is an osprey. Next time I will have my 400m lens!

 

[Jamkat]

Agree. All except the first are kites

Hi Fern, Thanks for your reply.

 

[Jamkat]

Hello,

do you have more pictures of the Osprey? I must admit, although I cant find hard features against it, I dont get an Osprey-vibe from this bird.
Is it the quite uniform dark head? Is any dark pattern on the underparts centered to the (rear) vent?
Can a Common Buzzard be excluded here?

Hi Alexander, No I do not have any other pictures, I should have taken my long lens, it would have made it clear. What I did see is the "osprey" fishing, and its action was similar to what I have seen ospreys do in Poole Harbour. That's what made me think it was an osprey.

 

[Jamkat]

How about Short Toed Eagle for Numero Um? 🤔🦆

Hi Jogresh, Thanks for your input, much appreciated.

 

[Jamkat]

Number one is a moulting Booted eagle.

edit: having had a look again on a bigger screen, I agree with @jogresh - looks like STE.

Hi Daniel, I did see this "osprey" fishing, similar to how I have seen ospreys fish in Poole Harbour, but it seems from the replies I have received there is dispute over what number 1 is. I should have had my 400 lens!

 

[Jamkat]

I am leaning more towards Osprey than STE, but I don't think it is possible to be 100% sure from this photo. Ospreys do have dark feathering on the head and the underwings look better for Osprey to me.

Hi Gladiator96, Thanks for your input, much appreciated.

 

[Jamkat]

How can it possibly be an Osprey with a tail that long?….they’ve got one of the shortest tails amongst the BOPS! 😮

Hi Ken, Thanks for your input. Looks like there is some dispute about Number 1. I did see this "osprey" fish, similar to the action of ospreys I have seen fish in Poole Harbour. It will teach me not to leave my 400mm lens at home again, with that I would have nailed it!

 

[MacNara]

I'm going to go with Osprey for number one, common where I am in Japan, with the reservations that I have only seen STE and Booted a couple of times and not well, and therefore am partially judging from the books, and that 'Raptors of the World' doesn't seem to indicate Osprey in the location Douro, Portugal (though 'Birds of the World' online does).

I think that head pattern can only be Osprey (I think the bird is looking to the right of the photo (i.e. its own left)), and the underwing is fine, too. But, to repeat, very limited experience of the other possibilities mentioned.

Photo 1: Jamkat's bird adjusted photo.
Photo 2: An Osprey in my local spot (NB Japan, not Europe) from as near the same view as I had to Jamkat's bird.
Photo 3: In post #10, KenM commented on the tail length. I think the tail length in Jamkat's photo is because of the angle of the bird, and this photo also shows an apparent long tail.

 

[Waxwings]

What I did see is the "osprey" fishing, and its action was similar to what I have seen ospreys do in Poole Harbour.

If you saw the bird fishing, there is no doubt it was an osprey. None of the alternatives would be doing this.

 

[jogresh]

Indeed, Osprey it is. 🙂👍🦆