Identify the bird…

Excuse the noisy pic (taken @ 300mm and cropped heavily). There’s quite a few of them around site – it’s not a small Hawk by any means – probably 18″ tall with a wingspan of 4-5′. Sat for 15 mins waiting for this stubborn bugger to take off, but he wasn’t having it…

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Hawk[/url] by davetheblade[/url], on Flickr

Buzzard?

yupp

Buzzard +1

Golden Eagle for sure 😕

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/did-did-i-just-see-a-golden-eagle

Robin

Buzzards seem to love standing on lampposts in the winter

Mrs APF says Buzzard.

APF

Another vote for buzzard.

Hah was going to say Golden Eagle, but mcmoonter got there first. I reckon it’s a Buzzard.

Golden Eagle for sure

I’d agree with McMoonter. Sure does look identical to the golden eagles I see around here

Unless your buzzards in the UK are vastly different than the bazillion or so we have here in the SW US, it isn’t a buzzard. They have, essentially, featherless heads/upper necks (the better to dig into innards without messing one’s feathers).

that’s a genuine UK buzzard right there..

Unless your buzzards in the UK are vastly different than the bazillion or so we have here in the SW US, it isn’t a buzzard. They have, essentially, featherless heads/upper necks (the better to dig into innards without messing one’s feathers).

We call them vultures.

#edit Apologies. There is indeed an American Buzzard fitting your description. Also a Turkey Buzzard.

Yours are fugly. Ours are cool.

It’s a buzzard, I think what you call a buzzard busy dog we call a vulture.

Cheers all – Buzzard it is then. Tis my mission to get a decent BIF pic over the next few days

Hah was going to say Golden Eagle, but mcmoonter got there first. I reckon it’s a Buzzard.

Otherwise known as a Tourist Eagle! 😀
Common Buzzard, indeed common as muck. Now, if it has been a Rough-Legged Buzzard…

quote]It’s a buzzard, I think what you call a buzzard busy dog we call a vulture.[/quote]

They are called both buzzards and vultures here as well.

Sounds like there are some golden eagles in the UK (mostly in Scotland as far as breeding pairs go and some solitary ones elsewhere, but doesn’t sound like many:
[

baby robin.
The European type, not American baby robin.

🙂

Messed up my quote and URL –sorry about that

I stand corrected. Just looked up UK vultures and they do, indeed, closely resemble golden eagles and not like ours here. As Coyote said, the ones in the US are really an ugly lot.

Unless your buzzards in the UK are vastly different than the bazillion or so we have here in the SW US

They are, yes.

Eagles are incredibly rare in the UK to the point that most people never see one. Buzzards otoh are on every lamppost almost, like red-tailed hawks in the US (well, the mid-west at least).

We don’t actually have vultures in the UK, closest are SW France afaik.

Oh and buzzards (like red-tails actually) vary a lot in plumage, so an ignoramus like me keeps thinking ‘ooh that’s something exciting.. oh.. a buzzard’

like red-tailed hawks in the US

lot’s of the red-tailed hawks here in New Mexico–not as many as the buzzards, but I see both virtually every day—the hawks circling for rodents (or cats) and the buzzards probably circling the Breaking Bad meth-labs :lol:.

off topic, but how do you get the Emoticons to work on a posting–I have tried many times, but only get the “text” to appear

Busydog, do you get the drop down box with the emoticons in it?

I usually just put lol or 🙂 and the imps that make the forum work change it automatically.

Let’s see if it works this time ! (lol)

Emoticons to work on a posting–I have tried many times, but only get the “text” to appear

Avoid any punctuation either side? Like a full stop..

😥 or :cry:.

OK, got it to work now—didn’t do anything differently (that I know of)—thanks for the help 😳

Well…if that’s a Buzzard I’m pretty sure I stumbled upon a Golden Eagle at close range in Glentress…….as the beak was different and it was shit my pants big…..much bigger than the Buzzards I’ve seen on fence posts round my way.

I’m going to say Harrier. No idea if it’s marsh or hen but that’s what it looks like to me. If it was in flight and you could see the wingtips I would reserve the right to change my mind to buzzard.

I once rode around a corner on Dartmoor to be greeted by a buzzard sat on a fence post having a little stretch. Tip-to-tip the wingspan must have been pushing 5ft. With a few flaps it p!ssed off over the field and left me a few pounds lighter in the pooh dept.

I once rode around a corner on Dartmoor to be greeted by a buzzard sat on a fence post having a little stretch. Tip-to-tip the wingspan must have been pushing 5ft

Trying cycling around Harewood House (Leeds) and having a Red Kite swoop over you while being stared at by a nearby angry Stag! It is all rather beautiful to be fair, but good for constipation.

I remember the first time I saw a Buzzard-I was cycling in Purbeck & rounded a corner-there sat on a post was this humungus bird-I swear it looked about 2 feet tall- took me right by surprise it did, nearly had an accident–twice. They used to be a south-western country bird but they seem to be ranging everywhere now.