Spotted very large perched bird of prey in County Durham, UK (1 Viewer)

[Kathryn North Shields]

White-tailed Eagle - BirdForum Opus but as Butty always says ...

This is the one I’m almost sure!

 

[Kathryn North Shields]

Hi again everyone. Thanks for all your help. Love that scene from Father Ted, so delighted that it’s been referenced in this thread 🤣

Just a couple of points to pick up on: I have regularly seen buzzards and this bird was much bigger. I was close to the bird and don’t think my size perception was skewed a la Father Ted. My dogs are very hairy and weigh approximately 5kg and this aided my weight estimate. A herring gull loafs on a daily basis in my garden and I estimated the bird I saw to be about 2-3x its weight. Maybe 5kg is an over-estimate but what I can say with certainty is that it was an extremely large bird of prey. Whilst it seems highly improbable, after all your feedback and photos, I’m pretty convinced that I saw a Sea Eagle. But I still keep asking myself what was it doing in Rainton Meadows and therefore questioning myself 🤪 so if anyone else spots one in the same location please let me know! Either way I feel honoured to have seen it!

Thanks again

 

[Daz001]

Thanks Daniel. Looking at the photo I don’t think so … the bird I saw had a bigger beak and there was more yellow. Also, I think the bird I saw was bigger.

Thinking logically. Buzzard. If it wasn't a Buzzard then a Red Kite is more common and larger in size. BUT if it was larger, then we could be talking an Eagle.

Isle of Wight Sea Eagles Archives - Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation

www.roydennis.org

There are websites to show where the White Tailed Sea Eagles have visited as they are Tracked. Judging by the map... are those yellow lines right on top of Rainton Nature Park?

If you know your Birds, and looking at that map, I'm going to say you might have seen the White Tailed Sea Eagle. (that's just one of the Bird's data)

 

[TheBlackGrouse]

Hi again everyone. Thanks for all your help. Love that scene from Father Ted, so delighted that it’s been referenced in this thread 🤣

Just a couple of points to pick up on: I have regularly seen buzzards and this bird was much bigger. I was close to the bird and don’t think my size perception was skewed a la Father Ted. My dogs are very hairy and weigh approximately 5kg and this aided my weight estimate. A herring gull loafs on a daily basis in my garden and I estimated the bird I saw to be about 2-3x its weight. Maybe 5kg is an over-estimate but what I can say with certainty is that it was an extremely large bird of prey. Whilst it seems highly improbable, after all your feedback and photos, I’m pretty convinced that I saw a Sea Eagle. But I still keep asking myself what was it doing in Rainton Meadows and therefore questioning myself 🤪 so if anyone else spots one in the same location please let me know! Either way I feel honoured to have seen it!

Thanks again

You write:

• I have regularly seen buzzards and this bird was much bigger.
• I was close to the bird.
• I can say with certainty is that it was an extremely large bird of prey.

Once my mother called and said that there was a Rüppell's vulture in the garden. She had looked it up in an encyclopedia (no internet then). This was a book about all kinds of animals, not a bird guide at all, what were the chances of a correct ID? I thought it was a joke.

It turned out to be an escaped Rüppell's vulture from a zoo 50 km away. My mother was right.

I should have known better, a year earlier she called me and said there was a lamb in the air. There was a displaying Common snipe above our garden. Snipes were already extremely rare those days, our house was at the edge of town, next to it was some dry grassland, nothing more, no water, it seemed impossible to me.

Long story short, strange things can happen, if you have seen buzzards before and you were close (with dogs) to this large raptor, it was probably an escape.

Not all falconers report missing birds...

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[KenM]

In many cases (albeit sometimes justified) there seems to be an ingrained knee jerk reaction to defaulting straight to the common confusion species, particularly if reported by a perceived Robin stroker.

However over the years, I’ve been party to numerous sightings of birds that shouldn’t on paper have been where they were seen!

From partial displaying Marsh Harrier over the garden (deciduous woodland/suburban rd.) to Spring male Black Redstart and Dartford Warbler in non breeding habitat within the open forested areas….to a Dotterel running about a Norfolk beach with sunbathers on an August Bank Holiday Monday, to name but a few.

It might be because they have wings.😮

 

[Stephen Dunstan]

In many cases (albeit sometimes justified) there seems to be an ingrained knee jerk reaction to defaulting straight to the common confusion species, particularly if reported by a perceived Robin stroker.

However over the years, I’ve been party to numerous sightings of birds that shouldn’t on paper have been where they were seen!

From partial displaying Marsh Harrier over the garden (deciduous woodland/suburban rd.) to Spring male Black Redstart and Dartford Warbler in non breeding habitat within the open forested areas….to a Dotterel running about a Norfolk beach with sunbathers on an August Bank Holiday Monday, to name but a few.

It might be because they have wings.😮

This thread from the get go included balance, and many responses weren't 'kneejerk'.

 

[KenM]

This thread from the get go included balance, and many responses weren't 'kneejerk'.

A general comment on my part….