Bird of Prey over Bicester Oxfordshire (1 Viewer)

[Sid999]

Hi, I saw this bird flying north over Bicester two evenings ago, it was flying in a straight line four flaps of the wings and then a short glide, I thought it was a red kite at first but the wings look too wide and the tail did not have a deep fork like the other kites around here, could it be a black kite ? sorry the pictures are bad quality they were taken into murky evening sunlight.
thank you
Sid

 

[coloz]

Black kite?

 

[Muddy Turnstone]

I should say Black Kite...

 

[Mole1]

It is a Buzzard. The first picture might appear to show a forked tail, but this is due to moult. Otherwise this is a fairly typical Buzzard.

 

[Steve Lister]

Apart from the missing tail feather giving the impression of a forked tail is there really anything at all to suggest Black Kite?

 

[chris23565]

I thought Buzzard esp on the 3rd photo, the fork is def missing tail feathers.

 

[Adam W]

I agree that the forked effect is just a missing feather but the overall impression of the bird doesnt say Buzzard to me at least at first glance, the wings look very long and thin and not at all rounded at the ends as for Buzzard.

 

[rokermartin]

The jizz of the bird doesn't look right for a Buzzard to me i would say it was a Black kite you can see the diffuse pale wing panel a good feature of Black Kite.Also wings seem thin for Buzzard as Adam has pointed out

 

[birdboybowley]

Buzzard in heavy moult - can see the pale body colour in pic 3

 

[CAU]

2cy Common Buzzard to me.

 

[ta brandreth]

Buzzard to me too - 3rd picture shows carpal well...

 

[Espen]

common buzzard

 

[petemorris]

Surely it is THE dark morph Booted Eagle, or at least one of them :-O

 

[Cheshire Birder]

I agree with Buzzard but can see why you thought it might be a Black Kite.

CB

 

[nickderry]

from the thumbnails I saw honey buzzard, two black kites and a buzzard - on closer inspection it's buzzard.

 

[Sy V]

From a couple of the thumbnails, I thought Harrier, but I think it's just a Buzzard.

 

[James Lidster]

its a Common Buzzard
Cheers
James

 

[Sid999]

Thank you all for the rreplies, looks like a buzzard then ! when I saw its flight its wing beats looked too slow and deep, the wings also looked too long for a buzzard so I went for black kite. I'll get to see one one day I hope.
thanks, Sid