Large bird of prey, buzzard or maybe kite sized spotted wheeling about 10-20m above a field of wheat in lowland Bavaria. Somewhat pointy wings – not quite square edged like a buzzard, not quite pointy like a kite or a falcon. No fingers in evidence.

Uniform tan colour underneath the wings with I think a beige breast. Tail was longer than a buzzard but not as long as a kite, and rectangular. Like a kestrel but shorter relative to the body. The front half of the tail was beige but the back half was distinctly a darker brown, like it had been dipped. Darker brown than the wings.

Ideas?

Baby Robin

can I be the first to say (somewhat predictably of course) – a baby robin?? 😕

EDIT: bugger! too late by 5 seconds… damn my need to type more than I have to! 😡 😆

😆

Lammergeier?

Hmm.. distinctly tan underneath though.. and that thing is huge too.

and it lives in the Himalayas…

I’m going to start bringing my camera with full on zoom lens to work I think…

Baby lammergeier?

Baby lammergeier on holiday?

?

Lowland Bavaria? Prototype Zeppelin?

Lammergeiers are in Europe, there’s just not many of them and I think they were mostly in Spain according to an article I read in BBC Wildlife.

Kite or Honey Buzzard maybe? Just a guess!

Why oh why didn’t I bring my bloody bird book?!

Sparrowhawk?? Although this looks like it has ‘fingers’.

That ‘s got a bit of attitude that Sparrowhawk.

Don’t like the look of it. If I ran a pub, I woon’t let it in. You just know there’d be trouble.

TAN under the wings. And it was chunkier than that and appeared much larger – seen Sparrowhawks before.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_birds_of_Bulgaria

^^^^ I think he’s looking for a bird in Bavaria, not Bulgaria……?

Sounds like a Harrier and no not the RAF GR9 type either! Harriers are quite common and are Buzzard sized but without pictures it’s impossible to say.

Booted Eagle?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booted_Eagle

Booted Eagle?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booted_Eagle

Rough Legged Buzzard?

Guys.. tan. That’s a light brown colour.

Montagu’s Harrier?

Hen Harrier

so, tan bird, looks like it’s been dipped, pointy wings, no fingers on display, looks a bit like some other bird.

Is it one of these?

CM, it was that sort of colour yes 🙂

Plain tan, no markings…