Sorry about the picture quality, it was taken from a distance on my phone. Can anyone identify this bird of prey I saw in my garden?

https://i.redd.it/iea81c2eu2jd1.jpeg

Posted by curious_george1978

27 Comments

  1. Some kind of raptor, I can’t make it out, but download the Merlin app and you can ID birds via a pic or sound!

  2. Looks like a sparrowhawk to me, difficult to be certain though with the blurry photo.

    Edit, Markings and size leads me to believe this isn’t a Buzzard. Buzzards are much bigger birds. Correct me if I’m wrong though

  3. Attention_WhoreH3 on

    I am guessing a buzzard. They are solitary and love sitting motionless on fences. Usually you’d expect them on the fencepost rather than the rung. There are lots of them where I live (southern Netherlands)

  4. EarlyYogurt2853 on

    If it was a buzzard you’d have heard them around… they tend to live, hunt and weirdly sit on the wrong part of a fence in one area…

  5. I_crave_chaos on

    Definitely some kind of raptor I’d go as far as to guess some kind of hawk based on colouration and size, it looks like it could be a juvenile buzzard. Definitely looks too large for a kestrel and too brown for a peregrine, might be a kite

  6. It’s in the middle of the photo, sitting slightly right of centre, perched on a fence post.

    Do I win a prize?

  7. Maybe ask the bird about the ID directly, if you must. Not a random people on reddit. Or call gardai if it’s trespassing. No need to risk any escalations on your own. Stay safe.