ID - Bird flying over the sea (1 Viewer)

[Miguel Berkemeier]

Portugal - Today
Very dark and small. I thinkg it's a Falco, probably F. subbuteo
It's better to see watch the videos, particularly the first and in slow motion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWI-HP-L3X8&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIWiolYN7Ok&feature=youtu.be

 

[Jean FRANCOIS]

Probably Cory's Shearwater.
Friendly
Jean

 

[Miguel Berkemeier]

Probably Cory's Shearwater.
Friendly
Jean

Thanks, but did you see the video?
I'm almost sure that it's a hawk

 

[PYRTLE]

They are Falcons for me, why not Eleanora's?

Edit: structure not correct (tail) for Eleanora's

 

[Miguel Berkemeier]

And it was really smaller than a Cory's shearwater

 

[Jean FRANCOIS]

And it was really smaller than a Cory's shearwater

OK for a falcon :C
Jean

 

[Nutcracker]

Agree with a falcon, wouldn't like to pin it down to a species!

 

[Simon Wates]

Its flying like an Eleonora's, the wing looks "long handed" and its the time for them down the west coast of Portugal. Just saying

 

[Simon Wates]

Looking at the first photo it seems a classic Eleonora's silhouette to me.

 

[RafaelMatias]

Looking at the first photo it seems a classic Eleonora's silhouette to me.

Agree with you Simon. The first pic looks very good for Eleonora's (got that feeling independently from your post): the dark underwing coverts, contrasting with the paler bases to the flight feathers visible there are probably more than a mere impression or a photographic artifact. Together with the super long wings that's what allows ID even from a very long range. I wouldn't call it a confirmed observation, but I'd say it's most likely one.

 

[Miguel Berkemeier]

Thanks a lot to everyone!
Considering the portuguese species the only possibility beyond Eleonorae is subbuteo, right?
And did you watch the video? I think that watching the first video in slow motion is very enlightening, I can upload the video again in youtube originally in slow motion if you think that it's better.

 

[Simon Wates]

For me its no subbuteo, their "hand" is a noticeable bit shorter (and body seems to me a little less stocky than an Eleonora's). Eleonora's is longer winged, which often creates a narrower looking wing. I can perfectly understand why our friend Jean immediately thought Cory's Shearwater, really - there is a remarkable similarity in "jizz" at the angle of your first posted photo. On the subject of seabirds and falcons; I have sometimes said "Bulwer's Petrel" is the Eleonora's of the sea"

By the way, an Eleonora's appeared in Sagres today - could even be your bird |=)|

 

[Simon Wates]

I wouldn't call it a confirmed observation, but I'd say it's most likely one.

Agree! Its one those that slips through but you "sort of know what it was" :-O

 

[Miguel Berkemeier]

For me its no subbuteo, their "hand" is a noticeable bit shorter (and body seems to me a little less stocky than an Eleonora's). Eleonora's is longer winged, which often creates a narrower looking wing. I can perfectly understand why our friend Jean immediately thought Cory's Shearwater, really - there is a remarkable similarity in "jizz" at the angle of your first posted photo. On the subject of seabirds and falcons; I have sometimes said "Bulwer's Petrel" is the Eleonora's of the sea"

By the way, an Eleonora's appeared in Sagres today - could even be your bird |=)|

I have to admit that at the first sight I thought in Bulwer's petrel :-O and I said to myself that if that bird is a seabird he only could be that species. But fastly I understood that he only could be a falcoon