Here is an answer from a friend whose reply I most anticipated. It is word for word as he wrote:
Hi Akos,
Your'e dead right, it's a Collared Sparrowhawk of
course, showing all the in-flight diagnostic
features of that species very nicely (except the
leg and toe length, which are not clear in the
photos). Beats me how anyone could call it a
Baza, given the overall shape, wing and tail
shape and proportions, nature of barring,
etc. And I'll bet the flight behaviour would
have readily distinguished it from a Baza. I
hope my comments filter through to the 'many
people' who thought it a Baza! They need to brush up on their field guides.
Incidentally, in such 'frozen' images that are
now possible with digital photography, the pics
also nicely show a very subtle difference from
Brown Goshawk (apart from the obvious wing shape
and tail tip), namely the bolder barring on the
flight feathers. Although the pics are not quite
sharp enough to be 100% sure, I'd say it's a
yearling Sparrowhawk with a lot of juvenile plumage remaining.
Cheers,
Stephen
FYI Stephen is none other then Stephen Debus who is an Australian authority on birds of prey.
