Any birders here?

[MikeG]

My wife saw a large raptor (on the wing) on Friday, at very close range. We are very familiar with buzzards and red kites, and it definitely wasn't either of those. We see them every day. It is described as substantially larger than a buzzard, dark brown or black, and the tail was a distinctive fan-shape as compared with the wedge-shaped buzzard and the forked red-kite. I showed her a picture of a black kite, and she ruled that out immediately as "wrong tail".

The sighting was over mixed field & woodland in rural north Essex, south Suffolk.

Any ideas?

 

[Shearwater Missile]

Hi,
From what you describe it sound like a sea eagle, these have been spotted over north Norfolk. Was it like this picture ? I took it at Holkham last October, I too did`nt know what it was. Hope that helps.

 

[MikeG]

The tail was dark, as per the rest of the underside plummage.

Oh, and apparently it made a loud, distinctive noise "somewhere beween a duck and a donkey".

 

[Kingfisher101]

Golden eagle? though they are mainly in Scotland.
I think I saw one in Wales years ago.
Could it have been a long eared owl they are quite big.

 

[Shearwater Missile]

From underneath the tail does look dark. The only other bird it might have been perhaps a hen harrier but that does`nt tie in from your description. I am no expert just a casual birder.

 

[Shearwater Missile]

Actually, Kingfisher 101 may be on to something, could have been an owl. Hope you can narrow it down.

 

[MikeG]

Neither the golden eagle nor the long eared owl are impossible, but both are unlikely here in East Anglia, I reckon. And it was midday, so an owl or her brood would have had to have been particularly hungry to be out and about.

 

[Kingfisher101]

Its a Marsh Harrier I think. They are bigger than Buzzards and have a fan shaped tail, the females are dark brown. I've seen a couple IRL and they are quite big.
I've seen a sea Eagle as well and that was enormous.
Look up Female Marsh Harrier on Google.

 

[Chief Broom]

White tailed eagles are huge, cant really mistake them though a juvenile can look like a buzzard on steroids! Pic [poor] is white tail and a kite.

 

[gbb]

Its a Marsh Harrier I think. They are bigger than Buzzards and have a fan shaped tail, the feamales are dark brown. I've seen a couple IRL and they are quite big.
I've seen a sea Eagle as well and that was enormous.
Look up Female Marsh Harrier on Google.

While i don't know what their regional populations are like, certainly we have seen Marsh Harriers on the Nene Washes, not too far from Peterborough
Darkish brown, pretty unremarkable colouring when its on the ground, longer wings, slimmer build than say a Buzzard or Kite it seemed to me.

On one occasion, we watched about 4 or 5 of them at Eldernell SSSI, so they are out there.

 

[Slick]

Hi,
From what you describe it sound like a sea eagle, these have been spotted over north Norfolk. Was it like this picture ? I took it at Holkham last October, I too did`nt know what it was. Hope that helps.

Really doubtful as they are massive.

 

[MikeG]

Its a Marsh Harrier I think. They are bigger than Buzzards and have a fan shaped tail, the feamales are dark brown. I've seen a couple IRL and they are quite big.
I've seen a sea Eagle as well and that was enormous.
Look up Female Marsh Harrier on Google.

I think that's it. Thanks very much. My wife instantly said "yes", although the recorded call I found isn't exactly right, it's close enough to be "probable".