Wednesday 27 July 2016

Steppe and Common Buzzards

2nd cy - 2 10 15. Four juvenile outer primaries and iris turning dark.

Beautiful individual

Juvenile - 25 9 15

This bird shows quite an obvious trailing edge but is lacking the blackness of an adult. Upperwing coverts showed golden tips to all.

Adult

Juvenile dark morph

2nd cy - 11 10 15. Three juvenile outer primaries.

11 10 15 - 2nd cy. A very odd pale Steppe Buzzard type. Juvenile outer primaries, about four new secondaries and 4 new tail feathers. The tail is going to be very rufous if the new central pair are anything to go by.

Far less advanced than the 2nd cy three photos above. Shape as Steppe Buzzard and barring in secondaries pretty fine compared to Common.

Perhaps the pale body is age related or could it be an intergrade with Common Buzzard?

Juvenile. A slim winged and light bodied individual. Fine barring in secondaries like Steppe and p4-10 very clean . Underbody and underwings ochre coloured.


Adult

Pale Common Buzzard


Juvenile. Fairly well barred secondaries, primaries and white underbody may point to a Common Buzzard.

Juvenile

I'm not sure how you can separate grey-brown Steppe from Common Buzzard. The barring thickness in the remiges is very variable in Steppe and some juveniles can be very pale below. 

This individual had very angled secondaries like a Goshawk.

2nd cy. Fairly light barring in remiges and some warm tones in underwing coverts and underbody might make this a grey-brown morph.


Top bird with strong extensive barring in remiges like Common Buzzard. Not sure if the outer-most primary is a worn brown juvenile feather?


Perhaps two juvenile median secondaries in both wings, appearing shorter and browner?

Juvenile pale morph Common Buzzard - 6 10 15. Same bird below.


A Rough-legged Buzzard type pale Common Buzzard.


2nd cy pale morph Common Buzzard.


2nd cy pale morph Common Buzzard - 11 10 15

Juvenile pale morph Common Buzzard - 11 10 15