[SABN] Long-legged Buzzard
Roger Fieldwick
fieldwickr@telkomsa.net
Wed, 29 Dec 2004 22:58:02 +0200
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
------=_NextPartTM-000-647dc714-181f-45e2-96c7-193afb2c2435
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="----=_NextPart_000_000A_01C4EDF9.D942F4A0"
------=_NextPart_000_000A_01C4EDF9.D942F4A0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Pat Tattersall and I saw a very pale form Long-legged Buzzard, probably =
an immature, about 16 km north-east of Balmoral, just over the Gauteng =
border into Mpumalanga (3' x 3' square 2529CA22). This site is about 30 =
km south of the sighting reported by Stephan Terblanche and Dewald =
Swanepoel about a week earlier and is almost certainly the same bird. =
This colour form of the bird is illustrated in Sasol third edition page =
131and is very distinctive. Details of the sighting are given below.
Light conditions were good, sunshine and blue sky, and a light breeze =
was blowing. At about 09:00 a pair of raptors came into view. The area =
is mainly highveld grassland. The larger bird (Bird 1) was large, with =
long wings and tail and was pale underneath. It was unlike any raptor we =
had seen previously and all our attention was directed at this bird. The =
birds were circling and moving in a southerly direction. I estimate that =
the birds were at a height of 100 m and were seen at a distance of about =
200 m, through binoculars, for about 15 seconds.=20
=20
Bird 1 was large (eagle sized) with long wings and tail, the latter =
being fan-shaped when spread. The upperparts of the bird were mid-brown =
with a light coloured rump/upper-tail. I had an impression of a dark bar =
at the end of the tail on the upperside, but am not certain about this.=20
=20
Below, the bird was pale. The underwing was white with black wing-tips =
and a large dark/black wristpatch. This was its most distinctive =
feature. Although it might have been present, I did not observe any =
barring on the underwing secondaries or on the under-tail. No black =
margin to the rear of the underwing was noted. The bird was too far away =
to see bill or leg colour.=20
=20
The accompanying bird, Bird 2, was distinctly smaller than Bird 1 and =
was mid-brown on its upper- and undersides. On two occasions it soared =
close to Bird 1, whereupon Bird 1 turned on its back in a defensive =
mode. It did not appear to me that Bird 2 was deliberately harrying Bird =
1.
=20
Just before the birds disappeared, a third raptor was seen above Birds 1 =
and 2. Bird 3 seemed to be the sames species as Bird 2.=20
=20
I was aware of Stephan Terblanche's and Dewald Swanepoel's recent =
reports of the Long-legged Buzzard near Mabusa, although I did not have =
the details of their observations with me. The bird that we saw was most =
like the illustration in Sasol third edition, page 131, very pale form =
of Long-legged Buzzard, but without the dark trailing edge of the =
underwing. However, Sasol illustrates a pale form juvenile without a =
black trailing edge, which suggests that the bird that we saw was an =
immature.
=20
Roger Fieldwick
Equestria
Pretoria
------=_NextPart_000_000A_01C4EDF9.D942F4A0
Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<META content=3Dtext/html;charset=3Diso-8859-1 =
http-equiv=3DContent-Type>
<META content=3D'"MSHTML 4.72.3612.1706"' name=3DGENERATOR>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>Pat Tattersall and I saw a very pale =
form=20
Long-legged Buzzard, probably an immature, about 16 km north-east of =
Balmoral,=20
just over the Gauteng border into Mpumalanga (3' x 3' square 2529CA22). =
This=20
site is about 30 km south of the sighting reported by Stephan Terblanche =
and=20
Dewald Swanepoel about a week earlier and is almost certainly the same =
bird.=20
This colour form of the bird is illustrated in Sasol third edition page =
131and=20
is very distinctive. Details of the sighting are given =
below.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>Light conditions were good, sunshine =
and blue=20
sky, and a light breeze was blowing. At about 09:00 a pair of raptors =
came into=20
view. The area is mainly highveld grassland. The larger bird (Bird 1) =
was large,=20
with long wings and tail and was pale underneath. It was unlike any =
raptor we=20
had seen previously and all our attention was directed at this bird. The =
birds=20
were circling and moving in a southerly direction. I estimate that the =
birds=20
were at a height of 100 m and were seen at a distance of about 200 m, =
through=20
binoculars, for about 15 seconds.=20
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>Bird 1 was large (eagle sized) with =
long wings=20
and tail, the latter being fan-shaped when spread. The upperparts of the =
bird=20
were mid-brown with a light coloured rump/upper-tail. I had an =
impression of a=20
dark bar at the end of the tail on the upperside, but am not certain =
about this.=20
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>Below, the bird was pale. The =
underwing was=20
white with black wing-tips and a large dark/black wristpatch. This was =
its most=20
distinctive feature. Although it might have been present, I did not =
observe any=20
barring on the underwing secondaries or on the under-tail. No black =
margin to=20
the rear of the underwing was noted. The bird was too far away to see =
bill or=20
leg colour. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>The accompanying bird, Bird 2, was =
distinctly=20
smaller than Bird 1 and was mid-brown on its upper- and undersides. On =
two=20
occasions it soared close to Bird 1, whereupon Bird 1 turned on its back =
in a=20
defensive mode. It did not appear to me that Bird 2 was deliberately =
harrying=20
Bird 1.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>Just before the birds disappeared, a =
third=20
raptor was seen above Birds 1 and 2. Bird 3 seemed to be the sames =
species as=20
Bird 2. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>I was aware of Stephan Terblanche's =
and Dewald=20
Swanepoel's recent reports of the Long-legged Buzzard near Mabusa, =
although I=20
did not have the details of their observations with me. The bird that we =
saw was=20
most like the illustration in Sasol third edition, page 131, very pale =
form of=20
Long-legged Buzzard, but without the dark trailing edge of the =
underwing.=20
However, Sasol illustrates a pale form juvenile without a black trailing =
edge,=20
which suggests that the bird that we saw was an immature.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>Roger Fieldwick</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>Equestria</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 =
size=3D2>Pretoria</FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
------=_NextPart_000_000A_01C4EDF9.D942F4A0--
------=_NextPartTM-000-647dc714-181f-45e2-96c7-193afb2c2435--