Dead fish and eagles!

[dobbslc]

Strange one this I found a dead fish under the car last night...

It's about 5" long.
Only a while earlier I saw a huge bird of prey circling overhead. I wonder what's going on? We've got loads of parrots hear but nothing this big before!
It must have a 4' wingspan! I'd also seen it earlier in the week a mile up the road eating roadkill. It's an orange brown colour with white bands near the wing tips. Screeches like an eagle too.
Does anyone know what it might be?

 

[bigegg]

Fish will be from a cat.
I once watched the next door neighbours cat carryiing a koi carp nearly as big as the cat.

As to the bird - no idea. Google image search for "white tipped eagle uk" might give a clue?

 

[Bullet2012]

Probably a Red Kite

 

[GW8IZR]

or a buzzard, becoming very common and do call with a screech

 

[eSCHEn]

Buzzard was my first thought as well. The "fingers" at the end of very long wings are a giveaway for them. They reek of glider when you watch them fly.

 

[dobbslc]

I don't think it was either of those birds, the white band is very sharply defined compared to those.

 

[daleyd]

Buzzards can come in a huge variety of colours from almost completely brown to having very prominent white areas, from the initial description my money would be on a buzzard.

 

[Kent]

Red kite too small
Location. Might help identify the likely. You know osprey are returning to nest around now - but the dead fish under your car?
All sorts of things could have dragged it there - it looks long dead

 

[roofman]

We have 5 breeding pairs of Buzzards very near my house...watching them fly and glide about screeching to each other is really cool and i always run for my binocs when i hear it...On another note but still birdy/nature related,has anyone noticed how aggresive the magpies are this year?? they keep dragging the young birds out the nests around my parts and other people have noticed in there area too how aggresive they are

 

[TechnicAl]

There was a buzzard flying over here the other day with a smaller darker bird attacking it in the air. The smaller one looked like a crow but they were high up. It went on for ages.

We have a Sparrowhawk who visits regular.......all the other birds make loads of noise and then go absolutely quiet when its about. It sits on the fence behind my bin....it left me some pigeon bits and loads of feathers the other week.

 

[dobbslc]

I've been googling birds of prey and it looks just like the Red Kite.
I'm in south Hertfordshire.
I've also just seen one over the M3 near Kempton Park Weird two in 24hrs, I've never seen one before.

 

[Kent]

Magpies are always aggressive at this time of year
Thier own young are born early in nests with roofs - so they can be fed on the eggs and young of smaller birds

Nothing different - you might just have less slugs and snails about which make up thier main food after the nesting boom

 

[daleyd]

I've been googling birds of prey and it looks just like the Red Kite.
I'm in south Hertfordshire.
I've also just seen one over the M3 near Kempton Park Weird two in 24hrs, I've never seen one before.

There are hundreds around the m4 from Oxford down towards London, they have been a real success story (maybe too much!) from being down to only a few breeding pairs 30 years ago or so. The giveaway for kites is the large tail and their agility in the air.

 

[dobbslc]

Roofman. my friends cat had an encounter with Magpies a few weeks ago, she came running across the road with 3 or 4 if them swarming her and dropped dead of a suspected heart attack!
What's going on with the birds?

 

[Kent]

I've been googling birds of prey and it looks just like the Red Kite.
I'm in south Hertfordshire.
I've also just seen one over the M3 near Kempton Park Weird two in 24hrs, I've never seen one before.

Carrion eaters got them around here - incapable of taking a live fish but certainly got the eyes to see the dead fish

We have a few around here - the forked tail is a dead give Away if you see it

 

[roofman]

Magpies are always aggressive at this time of year
Thier own young are born early in nests with roofs - so they can be fed on the eggs and young of smaller birds

Nothing different - you might just have less slugs and snails about which make up thier main food after the nesting boom

Yep that makes sense...Looking at one this morning going at a young bird like Hanible Lecter,left it to do its stuff as we all need to eat

 

[roofman]

Roofman. my friends cat had an encounter with Magpies a few weeks ago, she came running across the road with 3 or 4 if them swarming her and dropped dead of a suspected heart attack!
What's going on with the birds?

The cat or your friend had a heart attack mate?

 

[Kent]

Yep that makes sense...Looking at one this morning going at a young bird like Hanible Lecter,left it to do its stuff as we all need to eat

True, we give them no quarter here I am afraid. It's too important a nest site for waders and other more threatened birds

Rspb will even supply traps to landowners

 

[dobbslc]

The furry one!

 

[steve t]

I hate magpies, they work the hedgerows clearing out all the songbirds round here, clever buggers though ill give them that