buzzard or osprey

[Rachel Brooksbank]

We were walking in North Wales Gwynedd on Sunday between Capel Curig and Ogwen Cottage in the mountains near water. We saw 4 large buzzard like birds. We see buzzards all the time so are used to them. But these had white tails, otherwise the size of a buzzard. We have ospreys near by. Which i would be inclined to think they were, didnot see white underneath though. Rachel

[Nathan Kipling]

I think they will have been red kites which are increasing again, were they otherwise reddish, did they have forked white tails and longer, more angled wings and were they less chunky and more graceful?

:smile:

[Rachel Brooksbank]

No they definately were not kites. I know these as well. The only thing I thought would they be young buzzards. The white was so distinctive. Honey buzzards. They looked like white tailed eagles

[Colin Key]

Rachel,

Without more detailed information I do not think we can progress on this; it is the distinctly white tail (I presume you mean the under-tail?) which is puzzling. The chance of seeing FOUR Ospreys, Honey Buzzards or White-tailed Eagles together in this location is virtually "zilch".

I suspect that they were Common Buzzards; although you might be quite "familiar" with this species, it does come in an extraordinary variety of colours (plumages), and the light can also affect the way you see them.

Colin

[chris butterworth]

I have to agree with Colin, the chances of seeing multiple Osprey, even though they breed on the Mawdacch, are less than slim and, as for Honey Buzzard any chance of breeding in North Wales would have leaked out. White-tailed Eagle are unmistakable, like the 'mother-ship' in "Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind", huge, which leaves Common Buzzard. It's one of those species, like Dunlin, you can have hours of endless fun with, as long as you don't take it too seriously.
Chris