Buzzard like flight pattern. What bird?

[Nettle Runner]

On arrival at work this morning, near centre of Sheffield, looked up to see a large bird flying very high, way above the swifts. Its flight pattern was just like a buzzard, with slow lazy circles and eventually gliding away to a new position.

To compare this bird with a buzzards, if a buzzards wing length was 3 times the width of the wing, then this birds wings were 5 or 6 times the width of its wing. That is, its wings were long and slim. It was too high for anything other than an outline.

Any suggestions as to its ID

Les

[Adam Cheeseman]

Marsh Harrier? if you're certain it wasn't a Buzzard.

Cheers,

Adam

[Nettle Runner]

Thanks Adam

I am familiar with Buzzards, being a regular visitor to Wales. This was def not a buzzard.

I could not get any indication of colour of the bird against the sky.

Marsh Harrier would be an unusual visitor in this neck of the woods, but not impossible. The size would be about right though.

Thanks for the suggestion
Les

[Lincs Yellowbelly]

Red Kite?

[wildlifesnapper]

Hi

we get the odd Hen Harrier in the peak, I've seen them near Fox House which is only a stones throw away??

neil

[Nick Robinson]

Sounds like it may well have been a gull, probably lesser black-backed. They often use thermals, like raptors.