Kestrel

[The tree monkey]

Saw a huge kestrel today circling our worksite and then lo and behold another. really nice to see. makes the job worthwhile! also saw some massive hornets, if they were much bigger they'd be proper scary!!!

[s.varty]

A lot of buzzards in my area, a couple of red kites, great to see as none of these were about when i was a kid. A couple of farmers (with shoots) shoot the buzzards as they take the young pheasants, not sure i agree with that.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Saw a huge kestrel today circling our worksite and then lo and behold another. really nice to see. makes the job worthwhile! also saw some massive hornets, if they were much bigger they'd be proper scary!!!

 

Wasnt going to say as i didnt wanna pee on your bonfire, but kestrels dont circle, they glide hover, you saw a buzzard or kite, the key is in the tail, kestrels have a straight edge, buzzards a more concave edge, and the kite, well its very acutley convex:thumbup:

[Daniël Bos]

Wasnt going to say as i didnt wanna pee on your bonfire

 

But you did anyway........

 

I'd say it would be more likely to be a Sparrowhawk if he were indeed mistaken. Slightly bigger than a kezzie, similar shape, slightly longer tail but without seeing their colours they can look very similar. Sparrowhawks do glide, circle and hover. To mistake a kite or buzzard for a kestrel would be quite a feat, even for the un-initiated:thumbup:

[Le Sanglier]

But you did anyway........

 

I'd say it would be more likely to be a Sparrowhawk if he were indeed mistaken. Slightly bigger than a kezzie, similar shape, slightly longer tail but without seeing their colours they can look very similar. Sparrowhawks do glide, circle and hover. To mistake a kite or buzzard for a kestrel would be quite a feat, even for the un-initiated:thumbup:

 

never seen that,......ever

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

never seen that,......ever

 

cos they dont hover, they hunt on the move.

[niftysteve]

A lot of buzzards in my area, a couple of red kites, great to see as none of these were about when i was a kid. A couple of farmers (with shoots) shoot the buzzards as they take the young pheasants, not sure i agree with that.

 

theresa pair of red kites at santa pod is that near where you live

[Le Sanglier]

cos they dont hover, they hunt on the move.

 

yeh I know , I was being disbelieving rather than incredulous, cannot find the right smiley for that.

[pie eater pete]

Was there a young lad running after it shouting in a Yorkshire accent?!

[Daniël Bos]

I know sparrowhawks hunt on the move, thet can (and do) hover though. I have a pair nesting at the bottom of my field and have seen them do it. The point I was making was not that it was a sparrowhawk, but that it would be more likely to be one than a kite or buzzard.