Could this be a swallow tailed kite?

Helen, you may have posted the original images he sent without altering the resolution but those images have been altered - they are not the original images.

Regarding using images without crediting the owner - in my experience, as has been said, an apology and taking them down or crediting them to the original owner usually suffices.

I must admit though, as Robbo has mentioned, this thread reads like that famous/infamous parish council zoom meeting 'You have no authority here!'

Hi Mr. B.

Thanks for your interest and help. Yes, I am like the people in that parish council zoom meeting and have messed up here.

Although I have know Osy for a long time and would not expect him to be a hoaxer, I can't be sure. I am surprised the last images I posted are not the original images. I have asked Osy if he still has the photographs on his camera. I have asked Jason to take down Issue 292 on the internet with the birds and replace it with 291, which was up previously. I have written to the twitcher, who won't deliver his copies of the magazine this time, and explained the mix up with using stock photographs in the magazine and how it happened and said this does need an apology. However, I have also explained to him that I can't be absolutely sure Osy isn't a hoaxer but also the reasons why I think he is not (sent earlier). I explained that it isn't outside the realms of possibility that he actually did see and photograph a swallow tailed kite, but it would need to be checked on his camera, if he still has the photographs there. I also said that I thought a swallow tailed kite would have distinctive features, so it wasn't mistaken for a red kite by experts. Despite all my own incompetencies with this, I think it deserves further investigation. I have therefore also written to our charity's Chair of Trustees, Paul, for help with this because it really would be exciting if Osy really did see and photograph a Swallow-Tailed Kite! I have been informed there is an another unsubstantiated sighting in Kent.
Helen.

I don’t think Osy is a hoaxer, I think it is more probable he has wrongly identified a Red Kite as a STK.

I also don’t think you have messed up at all, you acted in good faith, you were sent two photos you quite naturally assumed had both been taken by Osy, and not having any in depth knowledge of birds you couldn’t possibly have known the significance of a STK being seen in the uk.

Osy has written as follows:

I am learning things I should have done ( but then I had no idea what all this meant. I should have kept that. and the few other Photos, I had of said Bird, but I take so many photos, a thing I love, so I normally Snap away, choose, the best, and then crop and maybe use a bit of colour and sharpen and such. oh dear quite a few guys want the Original none "improved" pic. Ohh too late.

I am getting a few guys who say its the real Thing Swallowed Tail Kite, but want more proof, where taken etc. Am looking to see what the camera can tell me.

But with. so far, people thinking its a swallow Tailed Kite, which is sounding good. Lets see what other advice and help I can get, with such a rare Bird. Osy

Helen

Ok. A straight answer seems difficult to get and some of this is starting to sound slightly cagey to me and the whole thing is descending into farce. Unfortunately Osy still has NOT identified which picture he took in the park, which is somewhat dubious in itself. Helen, I think you have quite innocently got caught up in what is either a genuine mix-up, or an attempted hoax.

To clarify, we don't need the original untouched pics in order to identify these birds, but the originals may have contained geo data telling us the location they were taken.

The larger pic, the first one posted, is a Swallow Tailed Kite. This is quite obviously a picture taken of a STK on a computer screen, as has been pointed out previously.

The smaller second picture, despite being obvioulsy tampered with or otherwise 'improved' is very clearly a Red Kite. They are very obviously two completely different birds, something that even someone with no knowledge of birds whatsoever could see.

Suffice to say we can be confident there is no Swallow Tailed Kite currently floating about Leicestershire. Good job this mix-up (being generous!) didn't reach the rare bird news services, or hundreds of birders would have pointlessly descended, looking for a bird that didn't exist.

Helen, I've kept out of this so far .... too many cooks etc. However, I may have some good news for you about infingement of copyright. I think I've found the photo that was was substituted for whatever Osy provided.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Swallow-tailed_Kite_(34163638494).jpg

As far as I can tell this looks the one that appears on the front cover of your magazine. As you will read, this image is on Wikimedia Commons which means it's free to copy and distribute. The only breach is that the originator of the image should have been credited whose name is given below the image. I would post a screenshot of the front cover of your magazine for comparison but don't want to do that without your permission.

If it was me I would be having words with your graphic designer about substituting images without consulting you.

Of course this doesn't resolve the issue of what Osy saw and photographed.

This thread needs to be made into a BBC4 documentary - I'd watch it

Yep, can't wait for the next episode. LOL

The saga of the S T Kite episode 2 same time same chanel, watch this space viewers !!