ID please (Irvine harbour - Ayrshire) (1 Viewer)

[gerdwichers8]

Okay, now you name just another basic average every day ordinary run of the mill ho-hum feritale..but this particular bird is a very interesting, highlight of my saturday afternoon after a poor greater grey shrike morning with our new star : SH! (or...)

 

[Gashead]

Short-eared Owl

 

[Stephen Menzie]

Lets face it - this is futile!

I've just [stupidly] read through the whole of this thread. It's going round in circles and no one is getting any closer to a solid answer (not one with any real evidence to back it up anyway!). All credit for being persistent, but time to give up me thinks.

Stephen

PS. It's a Peregrine, female, looking right at the camera

 

[Keith Glasgow]

sparrowhawk was my first impression.

 

[Jos Stratford]

It's going round in circles

Na, it's sitting quite still ...and I vote for a hybrid SEO and Sparrowhawk

 

[Andrew Rowlands]

Sparrowhawk - as several others have already said.

Andy.

 

[gerdwichers8]

My last donation to this thread: for the nice and cute face of this birdy, I ll take my possible CB out and leave it with the leading tendency

 

[Stephen Menzie]

Na, it's sitting quite still ...and I vote for a hybrid SEO and Sparrowhawk

I like your logical train of thought there, Jos. But wouldn't that mean it was a falconer's escape?

 

[James22]

I vote for kookaburra looking over its left shoulder, I think you can make out a longish beak. Although the lack of an old gum tree may disprove this theory.

 

[Jane Turner]

James, its a verifiable as any other theory!

 

[TWM]

A possible/probable Sparrowhawk or Peregrine---goodnight!

 

[Andrew Rowlands]

Take a look at the magnification provided by Klant in #41 and the sharpened pic by Saluki in #46:-
Head; central dark area is tip of the bill, paler areas either side are the eyes - it's looking directly at the photographer.
Pale 'splodges' on the back.
http://www.elisanet.fi/antti.below/looksi/accnis1473.jpg
http://www.kpss.si/gospodarjineba/120
http://blogimages.seniorennet.be/birdman/138-2e5e1d50162ac6e92c8e96c3258ea416.jpg
http://www.nyctea.co.uk/photos/raptors/sparrowhawk2.html
http://www.vogeldagboek.nl/Vogeldagboek/2003/Dec03_01.html
http://www.oiseaux.net/photos/jules.fouarge/epervier.d.europe.2.html#fiche
http://www.joachim-ruhstein-wildlife-images.ca/image.php?ani=4019
http://www.eimagesite.net/s1/gst/run.cgi?action=imagen&prid=443

 

[Xenospiza]

OK, I've been convinced from the start that it's a Peregrine looking straight at the camera.
I took the picture, and enlarged it to 400% with Photoshop, using bicubic interlacing (something I picked up from the IBWO thread... oops). I changed nothing else.
I'm still convinced.

 

[Andrew Rowlands]

OK, I've been convinced from the start that it's a Peregrine looking straight at the camera.
I took the picture, and enlarged it to 400% with Photoshop, using bicubic interlacing (something I picked up from the IBWO thread... oops). I changed nothing else.
I'm still convinced.

Convinced by what? Where are the Peregrine features you see?

 

[Xenospiza]

I've never seen a Sparrowhawk:
- with black moustachial stripes
- that bulky
- sitting leisurely in a field like that
But of course I could be wrong... like anyone else!

 

[tittletattler]

I've never seen a Sparrowhawk:
- with black moustachial stripes
- that bulky
- sitting leisurely in a field like that
But of course I could be wrong... like anyone else!

I'll dress as a banana if........

Actually, on second thoughts, I won't say that!

But I will say that a Peregine will show a black hood and will not show a pale supercilium. This bird is a female sproghawk.

Nice set of links Andrew which back up all of the points that you've made.

What we need now is for the 'pro-Peregrines' to do the same.

 

[gerdwichers8]

it shows darker feathers behind the eye: the earcoverts, but a dark moustachial stripe is still to be seen; even on your photo Xeno...

ps. You'r definitely not a coward Andrew, for abandoning your nickname.
Cheers man!

 

[Andrew Rowlands]

it shows darker feathers behind the eye: the earcoverts, but a dark moustachial stripe is still to be seen; even on your photo Xeno...

Would you care to point out where you think the eye is on your Peregrine, Gerd?

I have a feeling it's not in the same place as the eye of those in the Sparrowhawk camp ...

 

[Mike Feely]

I've just had another look at the original picture.

I dont think we're ever gonna get a definate id from this picture, but...

It's definately not a Peregrine - i cant see any features that suggest this
It could be a Sparrowhawk
but it still could be a Woodpigeon (although i dont think it is)
The head's not big enough for a SEO
Not big enough for a Buzzard
Has fluffed up female Merlin been ruled out? (shortish tail, hint of pale collar (at that distant might show as))

Otherwise, it has to go down as "the one that got away"!!

Mike

 

[gerdwichers8]

Would you care to point out where you think the eye is on your Peregrine, Gerd?

I have a feeling it's not in the same place as the eye of those in the Sparrowhawk camp ...

You dont understand: With the saying
"is still to be seen", I meant that one can keep on looking at this bird, trying to see such moustachial stripe, but that it is still to be seen. (implying that no one has seen it yet, and surely to keep looking at it...and so forth) :scribe: