Birds of prey

[Kitty]

Can someone direct me to an English language website about birds of prey in South West France?  I spot them all the time flying over the marshes near the coast here and I do not know what they are.  They are always hunting on their own but over the course of a regular 5-mile route that I take, I might spot, say, three birds of prey circling.  Are they likely to be buzzards?  Are there any eagles or hawks here?  Are there any distinctive features that help you identify them?

 

[Alex H]

This may (or may not - its useful if you know the name) help and it is in English as well as French

http://www.oiseaux.net/oiseaux/france.html

[Kitty]

Thanks Tandem.  Looks good.  I'll investigate the site further.

 

[chris pp]

A few of the larger ones.

Marsh Harrier.

http://www.oiseaux.net/oiseaux/busard.des.roseaux.html

Hen harrier.

http://www.oiseaux.net/oiseaux/busard.saint-martin.html

Short tailed eagle.

http://www.oiseaux.net/oiseaux/circaete.jean-le-blanc.html

Common buzzard.

http://www.oiseaux.net/oiseaux/buse.variable.html

Montague's harrier.

http://www.oiseaux.net/oiseaux/busard.cendre.html

Chris

 

[Kitty]

Thanks Chris.  I'm printing the pages out and am going to get my binoculars out.  I'm amazed that they live so long - 25 years in the case of the Common Buzzard.  No wonder there are so many of them!

Looking on the site, robins live for 15 years, which amazes me. I assumed that birds didn't live that long.

 

[Kitty]

Just had to tell you.  I was looking at the print-out about the Common Buzzard and saw that it had white underpants.  "White underpants", I said to myself?  "How weird. What on earth are underpants on a bird?"

And then  I read again - white underparts!  [:D]  (Eyesight test looming, methinks....)

 

[Limousin Lass]

Oh Cathy that did make me laugh it's the sort of thing I do all the time.