what could the bird be. wasnt a buzzard

[whaleomeloette]

today while i was waiting at the bus stop opposite a walled in bit of waste land (which iv been threatening to investigate for years)
i saw a bird that was buzzardish size and circling like a buzzard but it didnt have the finger like feathers on the wing tips,
a crow and a seagull were flying by it as if to try and scare it off
the under wings had black,cream and cream on them in sort of stripes.

i have no idea what it could be

i see buzzards *all* the time so i can tell one when i see it but this has me stumped

[faz]

still sounds like a buzzard to me

[Martin Dyer]

What were its wing beats like?

Flap flap glide? Then it's a buzzard.

Or was it more regular - fast, slow?

Martin

[whaleomeloette]

Originally Posted by Martin Dyer

What were its wing beats like?

Flap flap glide? Then it's a buzzard.

Or was it more regular - fast, slow?

Martin

iv never seen a buzzard anywhere near here, i was surprised to say the least, when i go out to chesire i see 6+ usually and you can slways tell them, from the wings or the way they flew
i it was flap flap glide, if it was a buzzard it was the strangest buzzard iv ever seen! ill have to go have another look.

could it just be a freak one with out the fingerlike wing feathers?
because everything about it was buzzardy cept that.

[Martin Dyer]

Buzzards mostly extend their primaries in full soar mode. If they are flapping then they may not always extend their 'finger tips', and sometimes in the glide mode they will tuck them in. Check out the illustrations in the Collins 'Black' Bird Guide and you will see what I mean

Martin

[whaleomeloette]

Originally Posted by Martin Dyer

Buzzards mostly extend their primaries in full soar mode. If they are flapping then they may not always extend their 'finger tips', and sometimes in the glide mode they will tuck them in. Check out the illustrations in the Collins 'Black' Bird Guide and you will see what I mean

Martin

im convinced it was a red kite- the markings were *perfect*

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by whaleomeloette

im convinced it was a red kite- the markings were *perfect*

The forked tail on a kite is obvious, and a giveaway. As you didn't note a forked tail maybe it wasn't a kite. The wings on a kite are also often held 'cranked', which I've never seen in a buzzard.

Jim

[whaleomeloette]

Originally Posted by Jim Ford

The forked tail on a kite is obvious, and a giveaway. As you didn't note a forked tail maybe it wasn't a kite. The wings on a kite are also often held 'cranked', which I've never seen in a buzzard.

Jim

i did notice an odd tail- but i was more looking at the wings- i thought it was a pale buzzard but wasnt, what does cranked mean?

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by whaleomeloette

i did notice an odd tail- but i was more looking at the wings- i thought it was a pale buzzard but wasnt, what does cranked mean?

If it was a Red Kite you couldn't really miss the obvious forked tail. The fact you didn't notice it suggests you didn't see a Red Kite.

[Martin Dyer]

Whereabouts in the country did you see it?

Martin