buteo south thailand help please (1 Viewer)

[bhutjoe]

Hi, this photo was taken at about noon on Oct 14, 2020 near the Hat Yai airport. When I had the binocs on it I think I saw a fairly broad terminal band and another about a third the width half way up. A little like on a black baza, though I don't think that is what this is.
The bird seemed to be circling for a few minutes and then took off.
I have included a second photo which may or may not be the same bird, just to get an idea of its jizz. It was taken about 10 minutes after the first one.
thanks in advance for your help
steve

 

[RafaelMatias]

The first bird is an underexposed Oriental (aka Crested) Honey Buzzard, imo; the 2nd I think it's really not identifiable.

 

[Deb Burhinus]

Hi Bhutjoe

Do you have any other images of either of these? Jerdon’s Baza, Changeable Hawk Eagle and Crested Honey Buzzard can all look at times rather similar in flight and I’m not sure if we are seeing one wing tip or two in the first image but does look on the large size. The apparently deep wing action in the first image is better for OHB (or perhaps CHE) - if two wingtips, then Crested Honey is the most likely on structure - the bird gliding in image two with its carpal joints forward and wing tips slightly swept back is also quite a good jizz for OHB.

 

[Andy Adcock]

Neither of these shots are ID'able with any certainty IMHO.

 

[bhutjoe]

same photo but lightened

First, thank you all for your time and efforts and suggestions. I looked at the photos on e-bird of a CHE and the bird I saw seemed to me to be all chocolate brown on the underside of the wings and in the middle of the tail was a narrow blackish band (not dark all the way to the vent). The terminal and quite a bit thinner mid-tail bands seemed like those shown in photos of Jerdon's Baza but the body and under-wings seemed much darker. Its upper body and wings seemed to be chocolaty brown. That being said, I have learned not always to trust my ability to see patterns and/or colours

I have attached two "lightened" versions of the first photo, which I hope help answer the question about one or two wings.

In the span of about 15 minutes I saw the single bird that the first photo is of, then a pair of birds soaring (flat wings with the tips up) then after they disappeared another (or reappeared) pair soaring in circles and then a bit later a single bird. So not sure if all are the same, different or a combo of that since between all events they disappeared from my view.

Thank you again everyone for spending your time on my truly dreadful photos.

steve

 

[Deb Burhinus]

Thanks Bhutjoe - clearly two wingtips!

It looks like good for an OHB - (probably a dark morph on your description and the image)I didn’t think the head/bill shape was good for CHE nor the wing shape for a baza but the looking at such a dark image on my mobile screen threw me, I really couldn’t see two wingtips but one broad one that was in moult!

http://orientalbirdimages.org/search.php?Bird_ID=896&Bird_Image_ID=115747

 

[bhutjoe]

Wow, that is very nice of you to spend all that time and effort on this. Very much appreciated. This seems to be raptor season where I am; there was a pair of peregrines on the comms tower behind my house a few days ago, then this morning I saw 5 black kites flying over a couple of klics from where I live and then these flying over around noon. I hope to get lots of practice in so I can identify them and the comments received here really help speed that learning along.
thank you again
steve

 

[Deb Burhinus]

Wow, that is very nice of you to spend all that time and effort on this.

It didn’t take long and very little effort (I’m working from home so dropping in and out of BF this morning) but you are welcome!

Sounds like you are in a great location for raptors :t: