West Midlands ID request please (1 Viewer)

[iamjulian]

Hello all. Couple of ID requests if I may. The bird on the ground - Buzzard? It is about half a kilometre away so apologies for the quality. Kept dropping from a tree and sitting in the field for five minutes before flying back to the tree, then repeat.

And is the skein some kind of gull? We have LBB Gus's fly over every day but they are a rag tag bunch, never in formation, all look drunk. This lot were going somewhere with purpose.

Thanks for any guidance!

 

[Deb Burhinus]

Were the gulls photographed at the end of the day? LBB gulls fly in loose formations when going to roost (at least ours do!). As for the field shot, sorry, not a hope of IDing this from the photo but your description at least convinces me it is a bird and from the behaviour very possibly a Common Buzzard!

 

[iamjulian]

Were the gulls photographed at the end of the day? LBB gulls fly in loose formations when going to roost (at least ours do!). As for the field shot, sorry, not a hope of IDing this from the photo but your description at least convinces me it is a bird and from the behaviour very possibly a Common Buzzard!

Thank you, Deb. Our LLBs drift over morning and afternoon in a loose cloud both times. This lot were middle of the day and moving much faster.

 

[Deb Burhinus]

I’m not sure I can identify these tbh. It could even have been a short migratory movement of wintering Herring Gulls that you saw. It’s quite common for gulls to move in loose skein flocks when going to feeding areas also.

 

[iamjulian]

Were the gulls photographed at the end of the day? LBB gulls fly in loose formations when going to roost (at least ours do!). As for the field shot, sorry, not a hope of IDing this from the photo but your description at least convin

I’m not sure I can identify these tbh. It could even have been a short migratory movement of wintering Herring Gulls that you saw. It’s quite common for gulls to move in loose skein flocks when going to feeding areas also.

I’m not sure I can identify these tbh. It could even have been a short migratory movement of wintering Herring Gulls that you saw. It’s quite common for gulls to move in loose skein flocks when going to feeding areas also.

That makes sense, thanks. Looking at the colouring of the raptor's wings, the light and dark areas match a red kite on Google images. Quite a few locally too.

 

[Deb Burhinus]

That makes sense, thanks. Looking at the colouring of the raptor's wings, the light and dark areas match a red kite on Google images. Quite a few locally too.

The funny thing is, when you said the bird was on the ground, I was looking at the image completely wrong (as if the bird was perched!) - the power of auto-suggestion. 😏 Looking at it again, I can see the bird is flying and (in image 1) we have a view of the underwing. Very similar to Red Kite but It seems to show a distinctive black trailing edge and broad rounded wings which would make it a buzzard I think. A Red Kite would be much more rufous on the upperwing (2nd image) and on the ‘trousers’ which you can see hanging down in the first image.

 

[Nutcracker]

1 - Herring and/or LBB Gulls (not sure I can rule out Common, either). When they're in a hurry they often fly in formation (as do BH Gulls, for what it's worth). Not sure about the Midlands; up here in the NE, Herring outnumber LBB by about 500:1 in winter, but I guess you get relatively more LBB wintering down south?
2-3 - Buzzard. Sorry, can't see anything here to suggest Red Kite!

 

[aeshna5]

Agree the blur is a Common Buzzard. Wing shape alone should eliminate Red Kite.

Gulls are one of the larger species- Herring Gull tends to be the most numerous this time of year, but nothing in the photo to really eliminate LBB Gull.

 

[iamjulian]

1 - Herring and/or LBB Gulls (not sure I can rule out Common, either). When they're in a hurry they often fly in formation (as do BH Gulls, for what it's worth). Not sure about the Midlands; up here in the NE, Herring outnumber LBB by about 500:1 in winter, but I guess you get relatively more LBB wintering down south?
2-3 - Buzzard. Sorry, can't see anything here to suggest Red Kite!

Thanks. Not many Herrings around here, but this lot were high and quite possibly not local. Hurried photos as photography wasn't planned and time short . Buzzard makes sense thank you.

 

[iamjulian]

Agree the blur is a Common Buzzard. Wing shape alone should eliminate Red Kite.

Gulls are one of the larger species- Herring Gull tends to be the most numerous this time of year, but nothing in the photo to really eliminate LBB Gull.

Thanks for that, much appreciated. Thousands of LBBs locally, very few Herring Gulls, but the lesson I am taking is that my hurried photography needs some work (!)