Peregrine? (2 Viewers)

[Isurus]

I’ve just been sent this by my wife. Im assuming peregrine but it’s been a long time since I saw a hobby, it looks very red and I know a lot of you will do this ID with your eyes closed. Guernsey in the Channel Islands

 

[tconzemi]

Looks Hobby to me: very large white cheeks, reddish cast

 

[Jeff Hopkins]

Looks Hobby to me: very large white cheeks, reddish cast

I agree. I've never seen a peregrine with that red color.

 

[Patudo]

The overall shape of the bird says peregrine to me much more than hobby. I'd expect the tail of a hobby to be at least a little longer in proportion, the wings longer and also narrower (those wings seem broader in proportion than any hobby I've ever seen even with wings fully fanned). I watch both species regularly, peregrines all year long, hobbies whenever they're around (not long now).

OP, it might be worth asking your wife what she saw the bird in question doing before and after the photo. I agree photos can sometimes be deceptive (though don't really think so in this particular case), so the more info the better. Does Guernsey have resident peregrine pairs?

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

I agree colourwise it looks much better for hobby...but it is a very blurry photo...
BUT as you do not know what it is actually doing with its wings just at the moment of photo, I wouldn´t count that pro peregrine ...
If the wings are in a position like this

https://www.oiseaux-birds.com/falconiformes/faucon-hobereau/faucon-hobereau-op8.jpg

and you photograph from below, you might get an ofdd wing shape on the photo

I´d leave it unidentified if there isn´t any detailed description but just this photo...

 

[TheBlackGrouse]

With a Hobby you'd expect a more clear orange/yellow or red color at the thighs and vent, the body looks quite fat and the tail is short like a Peregrine. Juveniles can have a red color cast. On the other hand, it may as well be a Hobby, there seems to be some distortion and that might change the shape of the bird and the colors in general. We need another photo

 

[Isurus]

Thanks all - it was circling repeatedly and swooping over grassland (which feels quite a hobbyist behaviour to me). Apparently put the wind up a while host of resident birds including some quite big ones like pigeons. We do have resident peregrines but can’t recall seeing one with this kind of colour scheme