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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MPG" data-source="post: 1962933" data-attributes="member: 90247">Its a bit of a shame a link to the local news video on this story wasn't put up at the start of this thread. Perhaps then people would have seen the photos in a local context. The video shows both an Adult male, pure Harris Hawk (apparently still sporting jesses) and then one of three Buzzard hybrid offspring. The juvenile shows the black blotched, pale underside very similar to the bird in Mr Edmondsons photos.Let me start by saying that despite 40+ years of birding I would never claim to be any kind of Raptor expert. I have been following this story since the photos were first posted on Flickr and watched with interest the short news video that the photographer linked to here- <a href="http://www.itv.com/westcountry-west/bird-of-prey-in-plymouth38844/" target="_blank">www.itv.com/westcountry-west/bird-of-prey-in-plymouth38844/</a> Which puts these photos in context.I assumed the story and footage to be genuine. Had it aired on April 1st I might have had my doubts! Some weeks later the photographer who lives in Plymouth took some photos of the bird in question and simply posed the question do you think this could be one of the three birds born to the mixed pair? As I say I am no Raptor Guru and would agree that the bird seen from below looks generally squatter, however I put that down to foreshortening. The head and throat pattern match well and also if you look at the primaries of the right wing there is a notch in the third one back in the same place in both photos. How likely is that if it were two different birds? Lastly the photographer also photographed an adult male Harris Hawk in the Plymouth area back in Feb. Photos in his flickr stream. He says he didn't see any jesses on that bird at the time, but I think in one shot you can make them out. Anyway IMHO it seems quite possible that he photographed the male bird before it paired up with the local Buzzard.I'd prefer to think that, than the alternative which would be that there are several escaped Harris Hawks in the Plymouth area all ready to speed date with the local Buzzards! <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>

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