• Custard22
  • 22 Jun 2022 12:13 AM
  • State Not Answered
  • Replies 27 replies
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Please can you help me identify this bird of prey, I’m sorry the pictures aren’t excellent, but it was a long way away!

  • Dave - CH
    I don't know the area.
    If it were an eagle, what would the candidates be?

    Dave
  • Seaman

    In reply to rspbailey:

    Rsp the besk does look rather prominent and a bit on the heavy side, could we be looking at a young White Tailed Eagle? Any further pictures may help especially if from a slightly different angle

    Pete

    Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can

  • rspbailey

    In reply to Seaman:

    It could be - this is why we need more evidence.

    To me, the beak doesn't look that bulky but I could be wrong as there's a lot of good argument from both sides.

    Sometimes a bird cannot be fully identified and, as frustrating as that can be for a birder, it's best to put it down as an unknown - or revisit the site and further the discussion.

  • Custard22
    I’m sorry, it was a very long way away, and these were the only 2 shots I got with my very budget camera

    I had a feeling it was either buzzard, or eagle because of its finger feathers on its wings, but I can’t be sure.

    Thanks for everyone’s suggestions
  • Dave - CH

    In reply to Custard22:

    There does appear to be a broom at the wingtips, which should rule out a number of birds (in my, inexperienced, opinion).

    I seem to see a pale band on the upper chest, but perhaps that's just me, or an artifact of the image.

    I asked about eagle types as I've been watching local, nesting Golden Eagles for three years now. And am always surprised how often one needs to look twice (or three times) to be sure. It's certainly not always as cut and dried as one might expect.

    All the best -
    Dave
  • Custard22

    In reply to Dave - CH:

    You’re right, it did seem to have that pale section on its chest. It caught my eye as the wings looked very dark to me. I’m from Devon and have always had lots of buzzards around, and they always seem to have a lot of white on their body and wings, so I wasn’t sure either way.
    Always hopeful to see eagles when on holiday up there, but didn’t seem to be as many around as previous years this time! :-(
    But it was so far away, I can’t be sure of its size myself, or it’s details, just wondered if others would be able to say. And it might have been a buzzard after all!
  • Dave - CH

    In reply to Custard22:

    Honestly, Custard (cool name by the way), I've seen Buzzards of every conceivable hue and variation (and some inconceivable ones). So, for example, almost the entire population in Burgundy and up from the Swiss border to Gray appears to be extremely pale (ridiculously so), which is quite rare here in northwestern Switzerland.

    The one thing you can say, though, is "handsome bird!"

    :-)

    Dave
  • Seaman

    In reply to Dave - CH:

    Combination of poor holiday cottage lights and small screen making it hard to spot that chest band Dave but that may point towards s very dark Common Buzzard but I have a feeling that this bird may end up in the "could have been a" file as we are all clutching at straws now. In our little group when totting records up at the year end we reckon that about 10% are not totally confirmed it's just the way of birding

    Pete

    Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can

  • Dave - CH
    Well, Pete, ID isn't everything, I guess.
  • Mr. B
    Buzzard for me also, that curved band on the chest is typical, def not a kite, and proportions re wingspan/body rule out Eagle