Strange bird

[John]

I got home early from work, arriving around 4pm. As I opened the front door I heard a strange call from up in the sky. Scanning all around me I eventually saw a bird fairly high, about crow size, coming from the direction of Bagington (I live in Binley, Coventry, near Coombe abbey). I rushed in to get my binoculars but by the time I had gotten onto the bird again it was flying away towards Bedworth.

This is the only detail I gained from the bird. Around Crow size, very dark (but it was silhouetted against the sky). pointed wings, very straight rear edge to the wing, the front edge arcing very neatly from the head to the pointed edge of the wing. Very slow deliberate continuous shallow flight. The call was a delicate kee kee (two notes repeated with a few seconds spaced out between calls). My impression was of a short tail but I might have that wrong as I didn't have time to take it all in before it had gone too far away.

I have been looking through all my books and BWPi but can't get a line on what it was.

Whatever you guess (if anyone tries to guess) I doubt if would know if you were right, but you never know.

Anyone any ideas?

John

[aeshna5]

Always frustrating these ones that get away! The pointed wings + the kee kee call make me think of a falcon species, but I could be way off. If it was a falcon it may not have been a UK species but an escaped falconers bird.

[John]

Hi Neil

It wasn't flying like a raptor, wing beats far too sedate and continuous (but I could be wrong) The call wasn't as strident as I would expect from a falcon, more a soft, liquidy kee kee.

Lee Evans has come back to me with Nutcracker but I'm very certain it wasn't one of those (although it would be nice if one was found somewhere in the area it was flying to).

John

Originally Posted by aeshna5

Always frustrating these ones that get away! The pointed wings + the kee kee call make me think of a falcon species, but I could be way off. If it was a falcon it may not have been a UK species but an escaped falconers bird.

[ChrisJB]

Like Aeshna, it sounds like a falcon to me too. Your description of the wings make it sound a bit Hobby-ish, though they are smaller than crows.
A Nutcracker is unlikely, but wouldn't it be wonderful if it was and gets re-found.
Just thought, a long shot I know, but it also sounds a bit like a skua. The odd Arctic and 'Pom' has been seen heading across country lately.

Regards, Chris

[John]

I'm convinced that this bird wasn't a Falcon of any sort. I might not have had as good a look as I would have liked but I did manage to get an impression of the bird. Call, flight, shape, none if it said Raptor of any kind that I know of.

I accept that captive birds could be different but I have trawled through my BWPi programme and played all the calls and none of them come close to this call.

Remember I have heard all the calls of the likely Raptor's that could appear in this country but when I first heard the call it was different enough for me to think "what on earth is that".

John

[Chris Hawes]

Originally Posted by ChrisJB

Like Aeshna, it sounds like a falcon to me too. Your description of the wings make it sound a bit Hobby-ish, though they are smaller than crows.
A Nutcracker is unlikely, but wouldn't it be wonderful if it was and gets re-found.
Just thought, a long shot I know, but it also sounds a bit like a skua. The odd Arctic and 'Pom' has been seen heading across country lately.

Regards, Chris

A type of skua also crossed my mind when I read the description, but I could be way off.

[John]

Hi Chris

None of the Skuas calls sound anything like the bird I saw this afternoon, neither did it give the feel of a Skua when I saw it.

John

Originally Posted by Chris Hawes

A type of skua also crossed my mind when I read the description, but I could be way off.