Buzzard or peregrine then. Buzzards have fat rounded wings, and the tail broadliy fanned out in flight. Peregrine has pointed wings, with a prominent bend in them, and holds its tail narrow and rectangular in flight. So if you got any kind of a view of the shape of the thing, then it should be possible to distinguish buzzard from peregrine very easily at a brief glance. Or colour - buzzards look rather brown, whereas peregrines are slate grey on top and pale underneath.
On grounds of frequency of spotting, my guess would be buzzard. I see buzzards all the time, and have hardly ever seen a peregrine. Though in part that's a feature of where I frequent. My place of work in London isn't in among the tall buildings. And there are only about 30 pairs in total in London. Buzzards are now common in the home counties, albeit greatly outnumbered by red kites here in the Chilterns.
South-east UK people - opportunity to help PhD research
- El Pollo Diablo
- Stummy Beige
- Posts: 3332
- Joined: Wed Sep 25, 2019 4:41 pm
- Location: FBPE
Re: South-east UK people - opportunity to help PhD research
Going back to corvids, I saw the fascinating sight yesterday of some jackdaws on a neighbour's roof sunbathing with their wings spread out (I did get some pictures but they're on the camera and it'll take me a bit of effort to get them off). Haven't seen that before, but apparently it's reasonably common.
If truth is many-sided, mendacity is many-tongued
Re: South-east UK people - opportunity to help PhD research
If memory serves, you can buy frozen mice, rats or rabbits from petfood places to feed pet snakes.El Pollo Diablo wrote: ↑Thu Jul 22, 2021 3:32 pmWe have a pair of neighbourhood red kites, which I've never personally seen do anything other than soaring like serene motherf.ckers tbh. Except for the times that crows, gulls* or, possibly yesterday, swifts attack them. Which is reasonably often.
*I live 70 miles from the coast.
You could try putting one in your garden to see if the kites come down (they are carrion feeders after all)
Re: South-east UK people - opportunity to help PhD research
I haven't seen jackdaws doing it, but I see cormorants doing it all the time.El Pollo Diablo wrote: ↑Fri Jul 23, 2021 9:24 amGoing back to corvids, I saw the fascinating sight yesterday of some jackdaws on a neighbour's roof sunbathing with their wings spread out (I did get some pictures but they're on the camera and it'll take me a bit of effort to get them off). Haven't seen that before, but apparently it's reasonably common.
- Bird on a Fire
- Princess POW
- Posts: 10137
- Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2019 5:05 pm
- Location: Portugal
Re: South-east UK people - opportunity to help PhD research
Cormorants also do that to dry their feathers off. Don't tell the "intelligent design" people, but despite being a seabird that dives for its food, cormorants' feathers aren't properly waterproof, so they have to drip-dry before they can fly off.tom p wrote: ↑Fri Jul 23, 2021 9:29 amI haven't seen jackdaws doing it, but I see cormorants doing it all the time.El Pollo Diablo wrote: ↑Fri Jul 23, 2021 9:24 amGoing back to corvids, I saw the fascinating sight yesterday of some jackdaws on a neighbour's roof sunbathing with their wings spread out (I did get some pictures but they're on the camera and it'll take me a bit of effort to get them off). Haven't seen that before, but apparently it's reasonably common.
Interestingly the behaviour to do this seems to be quite hard-wired evolutionarily speaking, as the Flightless Cormorant on the Galápagos also does it.
We have the right to a clean, healthy, sustainable environment.