More smaller raptors

Weather-wise a stunning day, but maybe a little too still and lacking in rain for good numbers of migrants... Though I am not complaining as I managed a couple of barbeques and took the opportunity to sort out some long-overdue gardening. Chiffchaffs singing all day in the neighbourhood - they will move on before long. Also a Willow Warbler singing at 7:00 am just up the road, while another realised that it had miscalculated its destination and upped and was off flying at about 15m off the ground strongly due North. Presumably it wasn't planning on keeping that up for long on a hot sunny day...

Raptors were in evidence today with multiple sightings of at least 4 Common Buzzards and 2–3 Sparrowhawks. Here is a nice male Sparrowhawk. It could be the same bird that I photographed last year, but if it is it has developed a nice red eye in the meantime.

After yesterday's Kestrel, I assumed that another sighting of one passing over the garden today would be the same individual, but the photos show otherwise. Then later on another passed over moving due North at a reasonable altitude - this latter bird at least presumably a migrant.


This is the first of today's Kestrels. A female-type bird perhaps, in comparison to yesterday's male. It would be nice if they found each other and hung around...

Finally, a couple of Common Buzzards with feather characteristics that should make them reasonably easy to identify in the short term. The first has a missing tail feather and the second is missing the tips to primaries 7 and 8 on both wings. If I do not see these birds again in the near future then maybe it would be evidence of passage?

All very well, but there are a few other raptors found in Scotland that could in theory pass overhead - a White-tailed Eagle was seen again in East Lothian today for example. I think it will take some luck to see one of those from here, so maybe I'll have to take a visit to Highlands and Islands instead?...