I think I know what your 'mystery bird' is Paul. Something about the shape in the second photo link in your first post was naggingly familiar. Then it dawned on me. it's the LibDem Logobird! Hopefully scouring the area for a big round swimming pool so it can swoop down, grab the giant polo mint and drop it on the head(s) of the idiot(s) who thought it was a good idea to pay someone thousands of pounds to change the colours on the R.A.F. logo!
May just be coincidence, but, just a few days before the date of your photo, I had a large unidentified bird flying roughly east-west in the same area, seen from the bus home at around 5.p.m. Lousy views but a consistent flight pattern of three flaps and a short glide, very similar to the flight pattern of the ospreys on Springwatch later the same evening.
The other possibility is that the escaped red-tailed hawk is still alive and well and hanging round as it was regularly seen close by around the Boundary Park area.
i put it up for a bit of fun really, having noticed it this morning whilst working on the shot, i'm not looking for a definitive answer. i certainly didn't see the bird with the naked eye as you can see from the actual full frame image now linked below.
Images of course, only capture a split second in time and that is where all problems lie with assessing birds from them. As a records assessor for many years now I am extremely cautious of judging images of birds and our own county rarities committee quite rightly follows that caution, I've been 'bitten' by bird images before, one only has to see the pantomime following the China Town Warbler to understand what I mean. Those 'experts' judging those split seconds in time images are certain the bird was a Reed Warbler even though they have no idea of the effects of lighting and angle of view of the images, whereas those 'experts' on site, who studied the bird carefully in various lighting conditions and from all conceiveable angles know what they saw
As for Paul's shot, how do we judge the field of view? Exactly how close or far away is that bird? If it's far away, then it's an Eagle, if close, then a Crow! What about the obvious shallow V of the soaring wings? Well, is the bird soaring or has Paul simply captured that second in time where the bird is at the top of it's upstroke whilst in active flight? Is it black or simply darkened through range and shadow? Has it a long tail or is it some effect of the angle the bird is at? There is no answer unless Paul got a good view of the bird with his own eyes and can provide us with more detail but until then I wouldn't discount Raven/Marsh Harrier/Bonelli's Eagle..
As a side note (and little to do with this thread) but a popular topic with myself, other 'lesser' forums have bird identification sections which, whilst occasionally helpful to beginners, with thier anonymity (not on this forum there ain't ) where everyone's an expert behind their computer monitor, surrounded by literature, how do you know what levels of experience those people have? Can you trust their opinion, or is it just regurgitated matter from their favourite field guide which you could have done yourself? Place that same person in the field and it's a different matter with most, I know from personal experience! Best bet is to contact an experienced observer and where else but your very own county rarities committee, remember we're not just here for those rarity claims but also to help with any identification issues, rarities or not
My first impression from the first shot wsa a Harrier sp, but the blown up version looks less like one. non the less I'll make a fool of myself first and go for Marsh Harrier...
i recently bought a cd of bird song and a new pocket guide that has silhouttes in it, to try and help myself improve my birding skills.
the song cd is going ok - i'm enjoying driving around the city streets with it thumping out of my stereo like an urban birding badass.
the pocket guide of silhouettes is trickier as shapes change all the the time and most of the time or gone in a matter of a second or two - i think it was john lennon who said, 'christ, you know it ain't easy, you know how hard it can be...' when referring to getting a grip on bird song and flight silhouette.
anyway, i'm working of some images i'm doing for a job this morning and i notice a lovely bird silhouette in a shot i took on the 02/06/2008 at 10:50:56 looking down off oldham edge.
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) but a popular topic with myself, other 'lesser' forums have bird identification sections which, whilst occasionally helpful to beginners, with thier anonymity (not on this forum there ain't