UK/Raptors that 'hover'? (1 Viewer)

[gradders52]

Just spent an hour counting Swifts over and just clocked a bird of prey at about 200ft and 400m away floating on thermals, then turning into the light breeze and doing a quick 'hover' for 20 seconds max (probably more like 5-10seconds) – certainly not a Kestrel, too big; not big enough for a Buzzard... too far away for any detail and light not good

any thoughts?

cheers

 

[RobPeters]

With only size to go on; if the bird was indeed between Kestrel and Buzzard in size the most likely option would probably be a female Sparrowhawk. I do a fair amount of raptor watching locally and have seen Sparrowhawks doing exactly what you describe, albeit the "hovering" is not really hovering as such and lasts only a couple of seconds.

 

[midlands birder]

Just spent an hour counting Swifts over and just clocked a bird of prey at about 200ft and 400m away floating on thermals, then turning into the light breeze and doing a quick 'hover' for 20 seconds max (probably more like 5-10seconds) – certainly not a Kestrel, too big; not big enough for a Buzzard... too far away for any detail and light not good

any thoughts?

cheers

If it hovered for the time you say it did, the only real sudgestion it could be is a Kestrel.
I have never seen a Sparrowhawk 'hovering'.
Given the distance, could you just have mis-judged the size? Its easy enough to do! :t:
MB

 

[John Cantelo]

Female Sparrowhawk is 35-41cm long whilst Kestrel is up to 37cm so would not appear significantly larger in the field (if at all). I've certainly never seen a Sparrowhawk do anything I'd call a 'proper' hover for 5-10 secs (let alone 20 secs). I think it far more likely, given the conditions described, that you misjudged the size of the bird; something we've all done esp. with birds moving against the sky,

 

[Jane Turner]

Peregrines can hover

 

[Tiraya]

I've seen Buteos hover occasionally too.

 

[joannec]

I can think of several raptor species, including Sparrowhawks, that appear to hover when really what they are doing is floating into the wind and it is the headwind that keeps them up but they are not making any forward progress so they appear to be hovering, if that makes sense. It's not hovering in the way that a Kestrel does.

 

[gradders52]

I agree judging size and at distance can be problematic – however I watched this bird for long enough and I have enough experience and I wouldn't have made a statement I wasn't sure about (but I could be wrong).

I doubt if I would have seen a Kestrel at the distance and height (and I had watched three different Kestrels in 3 differnt locations only hours earlier, and see them regularly), similarly Buzzard and Sparrowhawks are also relatively common on 'my patch'. Sparrowhawks I have seen hereabouts going nearly out of sight (well I have lost them) and often wondered what they see from such great heights and often think they are riding the thermals 'to move on'. I watched 3 Buzzards, on two separate days recently riding the thermals locally.

It was only because I was looking for Swifts I picked this bird up. It rode the thermals circling in a restricted couple of hundred metres at the same height. It remained 'stationary', that is on a level plain without moving, using the thermals but twice moved into a near vertical position with outstretched flapping wings over its back and 'hovered', a ka a Kestrel, but wasn't a Kestrel.

I have heard other birds of prey may hover and wondered if anyone had first hand knowledge.

Sparrowhawk is a possibility if they hover, but didn't look right for a Sparrowhawk either.

The whole reason for the post was because I doubt it was either Kestrel or Buzzard and the bird hovered, otherwise I'm wasting my time too!

What hovers that high? That simple. If I had thought it a kestrel or buzzard, or even a sparrowhawk, I wouldn't have posted. Or I coud be wrong...

cheers

 

[mulligatawny owl]

Confusingly just this weekend I saw at very close range a rather unusually small and dark buzzard hovering for 10-15 seconds or so in exactly the same manner as a kestrel. It completely threw me initially and I wondered what on earth I was seeing but when it landed in a nearby tree I could see it was indeed a buzzard, just a rather confusingly small and dark one.

 

[Mark Lew1s]

My problem with all this is that by insisting it was bigger than a kestrel and smaller than a buzzard you really narrow down the options, essentially peregrine, female sprawk and male goshawk.

None of them really known as hoverers!

Plenty of other raptors do hover...buzzards, ospreys, various falcons etc.

How do you know it was a raptor? Gulls soar on thermals and can hover too

 

[dantheman]

From the Collins, wingspan of Kestrel can be up to 78cm, Buzzard can be as short as 110cm (the size of a C Crow). These two being the two which most commonly hover in the uk. Given the distance as you state, to be sure of the size as being between the two doesn't mean it couldn't be one or the other at the extremes of the respective size ranges. ... Peregrine as mentioned by Jane does fit in the middle, but you wouldn't want to be id'ing one on size alone.


Without any other features, you'll probably have to just let this one go anyway. Not all birds are identifiable all the time.

 

[Jane Turner]

I say again, Peregrines are known to hover, though I've only seen it once here, and that was with two birds interacting

 

[stevethehydra]

If you could tell it was a bird of prey, presumably you could see the approximate shape of its wings - were they pointed, rounded, fingered? That could narrow it down...

 

[Stew]

Black-shouldered Kite would fit the description..... Just to be a bit outre...

 

[RobPeters]

If you could tell it was a bird of prey, presumably you could see the approximate shape of its wings - were they pointed, rounded, fingered? That could narrow it down...

......also well worth revisiting the site where the bird was seen. If it was a migrant passing through, you will probably never know for sure what it was; however if it is a local breeder the chances are it might well reappear in or around the same spot - the local Sparrowhawks and Peregrines round here certainly do - and it may be possible to get a better view.

 

[cd07]

Black-shouldered Kite would fit the description..... Just to be a bit outre...

Agreed! Saw this in Portugal and it really threw me. Initially I thought Kestrel but as I got closer I could clearly see the colour difference

 

[Bob Philpott]

I think I would suggest a hobby which will do that. A hobby at that height can look a lot larger than it is

 

[Tideliner]

One of the things I have learnt watching birds for 50 years is never say never as on occasion a bird will do something completly out of character. Having said that I study raptors as part of my job for the past 17 years and have yet to see a sparrowhawk hover, hang in the wind sometimes , but not hover. The only Uk raptors I have seen hover are common and RL buzzards , kestrels , red foot falcons and osprey. I would suggest it would be one of these . I have often seen buzzards and kestrels hovering at a height of over 1000 feet.

 

[gradders52]

The following evening a raptor was seen in similar circumstance but no hover; circling at considerable height some way off but too far away to add anything and it may not have been the same as the previous evening.

I have to say I was hoping somebody may have said red kite sometimes hover (and when I say hover, I mean hover, as in Kestrel, not hold in one place into the wind etc) as I had read it somewhere but didn't know if it was 'factual'... and as one had been seen hereabouts recently. We'll never know.

Like Tideliner, I have learned that I have a lot to learn and never trust anything as 'gospel', set in stone – there is always the exception...

HOWEVER my own personal thoughts were, it was likley to be a Peg.

Now some time, a week or so later I took a trip closer to the location and found a Peregrine circling and then it went to rest high on an electricity pylon.

While I can never be sure, looks like Peregrine may be favourite and Jane gets the sticky bun. I'll be keeping my eyes open and if any more sightings p'raps report in.

THANK YOU ALL for your contributions, much appreciated.
g

 

[Cheshire Birder]

I have recently witnessed a Buzzard hovering, which threw me completely when I first noticed the bird.

CB