Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[chooklady]

My daugther and her boyfriend took our dog out yesterday and doing some birding along the way, suddening they saw this huge bird in the top of a tree, they were probably about 2 to 3 hundred yards away and this was the result with the camera, not spectacular photos as she didn't have time to adjust anything to try and compensate for the light etc.

 

 

 

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/nicolaknott/IMGP2335.jpg

 

It was being mobbed by crows and magpies, it's a pity she hasn't got some of them in the photo to give it some scale.

 

She was very excited because to start with she thought she was looking at a red kite, we have heard rumours that there is one in the area, they have been to the west of the county for some time but there have been reports in the east and a couple of local people have seen one, but alas I am fairly sure it's a buzzard, still wonderful though, beautiful birds. She was very lucky to capture this, I've usually left my camera at home when I see one!!

Edited February 8, 2010 by Guest

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I'm not great with bird recognition but great photos (even if a bit fuzzy!)

 

I'll get OH to look at it - he's good at birds!

[Chucky Mama]

It is a bit difficult to tell from the photo but it is probably a buzzard. Kites have very obviously 'forked' tails and literally look like kites. We see a lot of buzzards here, I love seeing them. They have a beautifully lazy way of flying. I often see them sitting on fence posts next to the road watching and waiting.

[chooklady]

I know what you mean about the lazy flying, they are not really put off by other smaller birds either are they. The Kites flight is very different and the tail is the distinguishing feature, if I'd seen it I would have known the difference I'm sure but as she has never seen a kite and only a couple of buzzards and they were soaring she wasn't sure what she was looking at.

 

If it's nice next Thursday we are going to Stockenchurch of the M40 to see if we can get some good shots of Kites, we have the birding bug badly!!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

OH reckons it's a raven . He says it's difficult to tell without knowing the scale but he's fairly sure it's not a buzzard.

[Blackrocksrock]

OH reckons it's a raven . He says it's difficult to tell without knowing the scale but he's fairly sure it's not a buzzard.

 

Similar thoughts here - we see buzzards so frequently and the wing is not right for a buzzard - raven or hooded crow I would think - we dont get ravens here but many big crows.

[Chucky Mama]

OH reckons it's a raven . He says it's difficult to tell without knowing the scale but he's fairly sure it's not a buzzard.

 

Similar thoughts here - we see buzzards so frequently and the wing is not right for a buzzard - raven or hooded crow I would think - we dont get ravens here but many big crows.

 

Looking again I think that you are right. Too dark for a buzzard and the tail shape not quite right.

[The Dogmother]

Deffo not a buzzard, nor a red kite. Looks like a darned great crow to me, but can't be sure from those photos.

[chooklady]

I guess we will never know for sure, my initial reaction was something from the crow family but then she said it was so big compared to the birds that were mobbing it!

A mutant crow! We do have a lot of Buzzards around here and I have now seen a Red Kite less than a mile from my house, and got some better photos of that.

[Christian]

We have lots of ravens around here and it does look like one They are massive!

[Old Speckled Hen]

This is not a raptor shape.It does look crow-like. A raven is bigger than a buzzard so it could well be that. Magnificent birds with a distinctive dog-like bark sometimes ending with a strange ping. I saw one over Reston Scar yesterday and did a double take. We see them up in the hills here but never seen one so close to the village.

Well spotted

[chooklady]

I'm pretty sure there are no Ravens around here.

[Valkyrie]

I would say crow or similar. Our Blackbeard (because he goes arrrrrrr) looks huge sitting at the top of the pines across the road. Buzzards have chunkier wings and hooked beak and lighter in colour - we have all sorts here. Check this site out.

 

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/buzzard_300_tcm9-139736.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.rspb.org.uk/birds/guide/b/buzzard/index.asp&usg=__cIRCTcCdaps7cUfe7x-TSIRG3K0=&h=300&w=300&sz=12&hl=en&start=3&um=1&tbnid=j3HbmTcr2_-5PM:&tbnh=116&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbuzzard%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-gb:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7MEDA_en-GB%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

[chooklady]

It's a shame about the photos, it was almost dusk and if she had made any adjustments to the camera she would have missed it.

[Treekeeper]

Definitely a corvid

[chooklady]

I think you're right.

[Egluntyne]

Looks like a crow to me. We have them in the wood at the bottom of the garden and they come in the garden.....but never when the hens are about.