Dead Bird - A BIG one

whatnext

Long story short,

My mother found a dead bird down the country where I hail from.

Looked like it fell from a tree (due to location, and she suspects that it fell after it died, so no smart ass replies please). I got her to describe the Bird to me, and thought it may have been a Buzzard. So I emailed a few photo's from the various threads on here and she is pretty sure it's not a Buzzard.

Assumption based on Head Size, Legs / Claws and beak. She also thinks it is a good bit bigger than a Buzzard.

I got her to report it, (response - what do you want us to do about it ya stupid old woman (not a direct quiote) if you want a toxicollogy test done bring it to a vet and pay yourself. My parents do not have that kind of money.

She went back to get a few pics of the Bird, but unfortunately the cattle had gotten to it, not much left. She took a few pics any way, so I'm going to head home at the weekend to have a look. My mother has only mastered email, and I dont have the will power to try going through the process of up loading photos and attaching them.

So question is, what bird of prey is there with a much bigger beak than a Buzzard and larger legs /claws?

I want to bring a few pics down with me to see if we can ID "the victim"

BYW, both my parents are from the country side and over 60, my father grew up on a farm and has lived where he is now all his life and has never seen anything like this. its not a phesant or anything daft like that. Or a hawk for that matter, they are pretty sure on that.

magicbastarder

I got her to report it, (response - what do you want us to do about it ya stupid old woman (not a direct quiote) if you want a toxicollogy test done bring it to a vet and pay yourself.

this was from the relevant council office?

whatnext

magicbastarder wrote: »

this was from the relevant council office?

No not the council, she phone some wildlife organisation out of the golden pages looking for advice, possibly one of the charity mugger types not sure who exactly, but I will find out over the weekend.

Judgement Day

whatnext wrote: »

No not the council, she phone some wildlife organisation out of the golden pages looking for advice, possibly one of the charity mugger types not sure who exactly, but I will find out over the weekend.

Probably An Taisce.

magicbastarder

just sounded like meath county council to me. i imagine she should report it to her local council environmental section, and try to rescue whatever remains there are for identification purposes if she thinks it's a raptor. given all the other nonsense going on with poisoning, it probably should be investigated.

Jumpy

magicbastarder wrote: »

if she thinks it's a raptor.

Clever girl ...

Birdnuts

Christ - I've been out of the country for the last 2 weeks and it seems in that time war has been declared on our birds of prey. Is the government giving grants to wipe them out or what?? such is the apparent carnage up and down the country

doctor evil

Birdnuts wrote: »

Christ - I've been out of the country for the last 2 weeks and it seems in that time war has been declared on our birds of prey. Is the government giving grants to wipe them out or what?? such is the apparent carnage up and down the country

Cause of death has not been established in this case.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

OP: Contact the NPWS!

Birdnuts

doctor evil wrote: »

Cause of death has not been established in this case.

It appears few buzzards/eagles in this country get to die of old age these days:(

whatnext

Here's a couple of pics I took with my phone of the "dead bird", the head was a mess from the cattle. I couldnt really do much to get better pics as the smell was making me gag, very intense.

Hope someone gan give me an ID. There is another bird of prey still there, possibbly the same. I saw it glideing above us, the amount of noice made by the rest of the wildlife was defening. It dived at something about 200m from us, dont think it go anything but it was a spectacular sight.

The Hill Billy

Based on the pics I'd say that it was indeed a buzzard.
In the bottom pic in the post above - note the wing plumage - white near the tips & mottled closer to the body.
Also the tiered mottling pattern on the tail feathers.
Similar to this pic of a live one:

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Have you reported the dead bird yet?

whatnext

Lina Fat Silencer wrote: »

Have you reported the dead bird yet?

yeah, to the NPWS

whatnext

whatnext wrote: »

yeah, to the NPWS

Update

two appointments made, neither kept by NPWS. I bet their expense forms say they were though.

I dont hold up much hope for any of the campaigners on here.

On another note there are two more of them now in the area around the house(four in total), not dead, yet

Birdnuts

whatnext wrote: »

Update

two appointments made, neither kept by NPWS. I bet their expense forms say they were though.

I dont hold up much hope for any of the campaigners on here.

On another note there are two more of them now in the area around the house(four in total), not dead, yet

Sadly there is much indifference to wildlife and conservation in this country, even in state bodies charged with the protection of various aspects of our heritage, hence the EU having to step in time and time again to get Irish Authorities to clean up their act.

PS: Good to see you still have buzzards in your area, its up to ordinary people like us to keep an eye on these matters when the state is negligiant/absent:)

Feargal as Luimneach

whatnext wrote: »

Here's a couple of pics I took with my phone of the "dead bird", the head was a mess from the cattle. I couldnt really do much to get better pics as the smell was making me gag, very intense.

Hope someone gan give me an ID. There is another bird of prey still there, possibbly the same. I saw it glideing above us, the amount of noice made by the rest of the wildlife was defening. It dived at something about 200m from us, dont think it go anything but it was a spectacular sight.

There are a few thing which if examined can give a clue to what happened to it.
If the bird was sick/ill/old/starvation and this was the reason it died there will usually be marked weight loss. This can be detected primarily by weight loss around breast bone (keel).This is hard to judge from photos. You would have to feel the keel. In a thin emaciated bird the keel will stick out.

Starvation is a major cause of death in young buzzards. This bird appears to be a young bird.( Old buzzards usually have a distinct broad and sharply defined band at edge of tail. This bird does not have this) We can thus probably rule out old age as a cause of death.

A good indication that a raptor has been poisoned is that the bird is in good body condition and no evidence of starvation.

If the bird was shot, you can see entry wounds on the bird. Again in this case difficult because of decomposition and the fact cattle have walked on it.

whatnext

For the past two weeks there has been no sign of the Buzzards.

Its hard to miss them, as there is such a racket from other animals and birds when they are on the attack.

Is it likely they have moved on? after all they just appeared one day.
Do the migrate? seems like a strange time of year for that.

Going to have a good look around at the weekend. I have a fair idea where they were nesting.

Sorry for digging up an old thread, but I got such good info / feedback before I just wanted to update you

Birdnuts

whatnext wrote: »

For the past two weeks there has been no sign of the Buzzards.

Its hard to miss them, as there is such a racket from other animals and birds when they are on the attack.

Is it likely they have moved on? after all they just appeared one day.
Do the migrate? seems like a strange time of year for that.

Going to have a good look around at the weekend. I have a fair idea where they were nesting.

Sorry for digging up an old thread, but I got such good info / feedback before I just wanted to update you

Are there cereal fields in the general area??. I've noticed at this time of year the buzzards in my area switch their attention from stuff like rabbits to rodents in crops that have either been harvested or are ready for harvest:).

whatnext

Birdnuts wrote: »

Are there cereal fields in the general area??. I've noticed at this time of year the buzzards in my area switch their attention from stuff like rabbits to rodents in crops that have either been harvested or are ready for harvest:).

You would appear to have been correct. This morning they were back in the sky above my parents place. But there are 4 four of them now. Back just in time too. The rabbits were begining to take over:D:D

Over the course of the past 3 weeks or so we had spoken to most of the local land owners and not one of them had any concerns about them.

Without exception they dismissed the arguement that they were a danger to either livestock or crops, in fact the majority of them were glad to have them around for vermine control. So I dont believe that the origional dead buzzard would have been poisoned by any of the local farmers for what its worth.