Osprey or Black Kite

brianjbox

brianjbox

Suspended / Banned
Messages
182
Name
Brian
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi all

While my friend and I were driving home from Huddersfield yesterday [him driving me watching out for birds of prey;)] I spotted what I thought must be a Black Kite, we got really close to this bird as it was heading over the A1 [m] close enough to see colour patterns and feather detail.

It was definitely black and white, it was quite a large bop we both thought it had a forked tail so assumed it to be a black kit. Now I've never seen any kite close up so today looked at pictures on the web and black kites still seem to have a lot of brown, now this bird was seen shortly after a motorway sign that said Rutland Water 6 miles, could I have seen my first Osprey?

Would love your thoughts.

Thanks
Brian
 
without photo's its never going to be easy, however the following may help you decide, based upon what you observed.

The Black Kite is extremely rare in the UK, and to date, there have been no recorded sightings in that area (not to say there isn't any!)

Osprey:
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/o/osprey/index.aspx

Red Kite:
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/r/redkite/index.aspx

Black Kite:
http://www.birdguides.com/species/species.asp?sp=030029

Buzzard:
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/buzzard/index.aspx

Honey Buzzard:
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/h/honeybuzzard/index.aspx


a forked tail would point towards a kite, but the others are there for suggestion based upon your description and colourations.
 
Hi and thanks for your speedy replies:)

It wasn't a buzzard as I have seen these not closely but plenty of times at similar distances, it definitely wasn't red or brown but did have a forked tail or what appeared to be forked. because or the tail I'd said to my friend straight off that it was a red kite his reply was "this may sound daft but shouldn't a red kite be red/brown?" this bird was predominately black and white.

Reading your replies saying that a black kite is quite rare and seeing pictures of osprey's leads me to thinking it was indeed an osprey which makes me happy in one sense and gutted I didn't have a camera in the other.

Are Ospreys common in the Rutland Water area? I have heard of sightings of them there but how often and how accurate the information I don't know.

Jubilant to have seen one even if it's not 100%, wonder what the chances are of seeing another if visiting Rutland again in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks again

Brian
 
not really sure on this, i have only seen an osprey once down this way.
not the best pics hoping to get better this year.
SB1_0963.jpg


SB1_0911.jpg


SB1_0971.jpg
 
Rutland Water is a haven for Ospreys, if that was the area then I would say it was almost certainly one.

Andy
 
Sounds like an Osprey to me plenty on the move at the moment.
 
jpandyp said:
its most likely a red kite
Click to expand...

From the description and location it doesn't seem the most likely explanation and an osprey seems much more likely
 
Thanks for all the replies everyone, I only cross birds off my list when I've got a picture of them so other than a possible sighting my totals for different species remain the same:( still was was great to see whatever it was;)

Cheers all

Brian
 
It's also worth adding that the tail on the black kite is not as forked as the red. In my experience it can just look like a fairly nondescript fairly large darkish bird of prey.....

I've heard that the ospreys were back at rutland water yesterday.....
 
Its most likely a Osprey and not a black kite.

When on PC will post pics of black kites I have taken a few weeks back in Spain. One of my favorite raptors. Well after Harriers;)

Most UK sightings of Blacks are escaped birds.
 
Not the greatest shots from my last trip but you can get the idea.

BlackKitesky.jpg

BlackKite1.jpg

BlackKite.jpg

BlackKiteBluesky.jpg


No white, under the wings are grey rather than white and against the sky almost always looks dark/black. Which is how to tell them appart from the reds. Very brown looking but if you get close they are so colourfull.
 
Last edited:
Hi salacalvet

Thanks for posting the pic's and I didn't see one of those so it looks like I saw my first Osprey:D

I should have taken my camera with me but it was helping a mate move in and just didn't think it would be safe, not the first time I've seen something good and not had a camera with me and I know it'll happen again:shake:

Cheers all


Brian
 
salacalvet said:
Not the greatest shots from my last trip but you can get the idea.

BlackKitesky.jpg

BlackKite1.jpg

BlackKite.jpg

BlackKiteBluesky.jpg


No white, under the wings are grey rather than white and against the sky almost always looks dark/black. Which is how to tell them appart from the reds. Very brown looking but if you get close they are so colourfull.
Click to expand...

Sorry if I was rude about black kites....!

Nice pics, by the way.
 
Hi Jeremy Did not even notice the comment of lack of colour:D

Not rude though just a matter of taste:)

Thanks for the pic comment:)
 
If it was Black and white and in the Rutland area, I'd say Osprey, as stated eariler there are a lot on the move at the moment and alot stay and breed around that area...

also, I don't know if other have noticed this but during migration time I have seen alot of Ospreys flying down motorwas as Ive been driving and I know a few of my friends haven noticed this, maybe they use the motorways to find there way, I know they follow rivers but they are almost like a tarmac river...
 
If you live loacal ish to the area, might be well worth a trip down the rutland water, they are there every year... I live in Lancs and I'm very tempted with a trip down this year...
 
leeharrison2 said:
If you live loacal ish to the area, might be well worth a trip down the rutland water, they are there every year... I live in Lancs and I'm very tempted with a trip down this year...
Click to expand...

I'm in Chatham Kent and don't know when I'm likely to get back up that way, so gutted I didn't have my camera but it's just to big [and expensive] to have on a working trip:(
 
Here's a black kite - taken at Rhyader, January last year

black_kite_01.jpg


As you can see, the forked tail is not much in evidence, probably because the tail feathers have been worn down - this could have been an escaped captive bird.
 
Great pic Somelier but now 100% not what we saw [ours had a lot of white feather detail showing].

When we spotted the bird coming in from the left in front of us then as we got closer immediately above and in good sight before we passed under, I assumed it to be a black kite because it was the only thing I could think of. It took some 15 minutes or so before I'd realised we'd just driven past the exit for Rutland Water [sign said 6 miles] and the thought of an Osprey crept in, not knowing I thought black kites were a lot more common than Ospreys so it was more or likely one, seems I got it the wrong way round especially given the area I was driving through.

Still gutted I didn't have my camera though:'(
 
From underneath, an osprey looks almost as if the wings are transparent. Black kites are very rare in the UK, so on the evidence you give and taking into account the location, an osprey seems most likely.

Shame about the lack of camera, but we've all been there!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top