Today I was in Newcastle and a BOP flew over several times. It was flying against shiny grey cloud most of the time and was quite a distance from me. I have cropped and tried to improve the exposure to help with ID. When I saw the last photo I wondered if I had 2 different BOP. It was about the size of a nankeen kestrel
From this angle it looked dark with yellow eyes, like a swamp harrier
Square rather than rounded tail
Brown and grey underside and fairly broad wings
Broad wings
Grey on breast and belly and brown sides and armpits
Eyes yellow and underwing looks light
This one looks all grey and light underneath with thin grey bands
My initial thought re the first couple of photos was Black Falcon? But maybe it could be a first-year Swamp Harrier.
The final photos make me think of Brown Goshawk or Collared Sparrowhawk.
Kim,
It's a Brown Goshawk for sure. In the second last image you can even see the grumpy eyebrow. :-)
I, like Andy, was thinking BF at first. However, from the third image down, the BG flight characteristics show well.
Thank you both for this. I had thought goshawk too, but grey goshawk because in that poor light - against grey clouds - it looked all grey.
Windhover, I don't see any frontal bars. Does this mean it's a juvenile? Or does it mean my eyesight is failing?
I see what you mean Woko. I think it's a very big crop of the image too, which means there will be very little detail to see. I can see some faint barring in the last shot, at the start of the tail. There's some barring of the tips of the primaries, but I cannot see them on the body either. However, the GISS (some say JIZZ, general impression of size and shape) tend to indicate BG to me. Although, now that I read Kim's size description, about the size of a kestrel, it could be a Sparrowhawk too, but still it looks quite robust and in that instance it would be a male Brown Goshawk, because the males are small. :-)
That looks like an adult Brown Goshawk to me because the adults have very fine barring like that one while the young ones are heavily barred. The darker topside can give the impression of a different BOP and I have seen these birds around home sometimes.
Cheers, Owen.
Yes, I agree on the GISS, Windhover. It does look like a brown goshawk. (I often wondered what JIZZ stood for.) And my eyesight is still good enough to see the faint barring at the top of the tail & on the tips of the primaries. However, just to set the cat among the raptors, my eyesight also tells me there is a notch in the tail, indicative of a collared sparrowhawk.
Owen1, thanks for mentioning the heavier barring on the juvenile brown goshawks (&, my Morcombe tells me, on the juvenile collared sparrowhawks). I'm learning all the time.
This bird is quite clearly an adult Collared Sparrowhawk.
Cheers,
al
Central Victoria
https://sites.google.com/site/blackhillreservekyneton/home
Hey Al
Can you elaborate why? If you are so confident then it would be great that you share your expertise for all to learn from.
Thanks. :-)
I have difficulty confidently identifying Brown Goshawks vs Collard Sparrowhawks in flight, so I would love to know of more id hints.
Al, can you let me know how you know it's a Sparrowhawk?
Thanks,
Andy.
Andy
For me to tell, I'd have to see the bird in person. Hard to gauge the way it flies or how large it is from someone else's judgement and this particular photo so I guessed. :-)
Hi folks,
I love to know what the answers are, therefore, I have forwarded the thread to Stephen Debus, perhaps the authority on Aussie raptors. His response is below:
Hi Akos,
Yes, I agree, clearly Brown Goshawk or Collared
Sparrowhawk; the rounded tail tip makes it a
Brown Goshawk, as also suggested by the more
projecting head and bill than a Sparrowhawk would
have. You can foward my reply if you like. Nice
photos, which illustrate the different wing and
tail attitudes/shapes according to viewing angle etc.
Cheers,
Steve
Here is a comparison table (isn't google wonderful!!) and unless it is a female CS I can't see there is a collar or that the banding is distinct enough for the sparrowhawk but I know I am hopeless with id other than for more common birds.
[linkhttp://birdsqueensland.org.au/downloads/sparrowhawk_vs_goshawk_comparison_table.pdf]comparison of sparrowhawk vs goshawk[/link]
Alison
~~~~~~
"the earth is not only for humans, but for all animals and living things."
Sorry, broke the link here it is again
[link=http://birdsqueensland.org.au/downloads/sparrowhawk_vs_goshawk_compariso... of sparrowhawk vs goshawk[/link]
Alison
~~~~~~
"the earth is not only for humans, but for all animals and living things."
That's a great comparison table. I have seen that somewhere before. Thanks for adding. :-)
I would suggest it is a Brown Goshawk due to the roundness of its tail in the last pic & the yellow nasal area in the first 2 pics. thats only my opinion. ;') :')
if your happy when your birding, flap your wings.
Thanks to everyone for making such an effort to identfy this BOP.
In my Slater the pics of both look almost the same. He differentiates by size (CS smaller) tail (CS has a long square tail and BG has a long rounded tail). He says CS is similar to BG but smaller with longer toes, square tail diagnostic; looks shorter-tailed, longer winged in flight.
It's hard to apply all this when there is only one bird and it is high up and against dark shiny grey cloud.