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What sort of bird is this?
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- Lemon Quarter
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What sort of bird is this?
I was wandering through the back lanes of Flintshire on Street View, when I noticed this large bird sitting on a rock. It's obviously a fairly large raptor of some sort, but I wondered if any of the resident ornithologists might be able to identify it.
This is the Street View link, though you'll have to zoom in to see the bird properly - https://goo.gl/maps/AunVVMALPhdNSGx99
This is the Street View link, though you'll have to zoom in to see the bird properly - https://goo.gl/maps/AunVVMALPhdNSGx99
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- Lemon Half
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Re: What sort of bird is this?
Hard to see clearly but my immediate uneducated guess was a Peregrine Falcon:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Falco_peregrinus_good_-_Christopher_Watson.jpg
I'm bound to be wrong!
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Falco_peregrinus_good_-_Christopher_Watson.jpg
I'm bound to be wrong!
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- Lemon Half
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Re: What sort of bird is this?
The tail seems quite short (if viewed from a few yards further up the road). I'm guessing at a juvenile kite, although I wouldn't completely rule out a kestrel, which can grow to 32 cm tall. (There any many variants, and I've seen them like that in France.)
I notice that the picture was taken in June. Does that help? The cows look bored, anyway.
BJ
I notice that the picture was taken in June. Does that help? The cows look bored, anyway.
BJ
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: What sort of bird is this?
PinkDalek wrote:... guess was a Peregrine Falcon...
bungeejumper wrote:...I'm guessing at a juvenile kite, although I wouldn't completely rule out a kestrel...
Could be either, they both have strong populations in Wales.
Peregrine Falcon:
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildl ... nd-trends/They reach their highest densities in upland areas of Wales, southern Scotland and northwest England.
Red Kite:
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildl ... tion-size/There are probably around 1,800 breeding pairs in Britain (about 7 per cent of the world population) - about half in Wales...
My vote is for Peregrine Falcon, mainly because the Red Kite is rarely seen on the ground.
http://www.yorkshireredkites.net/genera ... ing-habitsThey are quite often reluctant to land, snatching up their food from the ground and either feeding on the wing or taking it into a tree, to feed on whilst perched.
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- Lemon Half
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Re: What sort of bird is this?
Difficult to say, but buzzard was my initial thought (I see loads of kites)
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: What sort of bird is this?
I'm not sure what you're doing wandering around the highways and byways of Flintshire CK but the bird is more than likely to be a buzzard. I live in Flintshire and although both Red Kites and Caper Callies have been introduced into N. Wales - some in Denbighshire I believe, I've never seen hide nor hair of either. Buzzards on the other hand are ten a penny.
R6
R6
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: What sort of bird is this?
The breast appears too dark for a Peregrine falcon, there can be significant variations between different individuals but I've never seen one as dark as that. My guess would be a Common Buzzard or a Kite. I note the previous comment on Kites rarely being seen on the ground so Buzzard would be my bet.
(I've owned both Buzzards and Peregrines)
(I've owned both Buzzards and Peregrines)
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- Lemon Quarter
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Re: What sort of bird is this?
Thanks for all the replies. Having looked at various pictures it's too big to be a peregrine falcon or a kestrel, and I think I agree with the consensus that it's a buzzard, though on the pictures I've seen of buzzards they all seem to have pale feathers on their chests - perhaps this one was an ill eagle immigrant!
I did momentarily hope that someone might have jumped the gun ...https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/47284528
I did momentarily hope that someone might have jumped the gun ...https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/47284528
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- Lemon Slice
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Re: What sort of bird is this?
Buzzards eat worms (among other things) so it's not unusual to see them on the ground, especially early in the morning.
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