Bird I.d no pics sorry

dodderangler

Was out walking the dog earlier and there was a group of gulls above my head a fair bit up dive bombing another gull but this lad was huge. The other gulls were basically screaming at this one and he didn't seem bothered at all.he was just soaring about barely a wing beat at all.
It wasn't a buzzard as its wings were same shape as the gulls that V type shape and I know a buzzard when I see one.
It looked almost all black and probably a good 6 half maybe 7 foot wingspan
Never seen one before.
This was in tallaght aswell.
Any ideas

Maudi

dodderangler wrote: »

Was out walking the dog earlier and there was a group of gulls above my head a fair bit up dive bombing another gull but this lad was huge. The other gulls were basically screaming at this one and he didn't seem bothered at all.he was just soaring about barely a wing beat at all.
It wasn't a buzzard as its wings were same shape as the gulls that V type shape and I know a buzzard when I see one.
It looked almost all black and probably a good 6 half maybe 7 foot wingspan
Never seen one before.
This was in tallaght aswell.
Any ideas

Albatross?

dodderangler

Maudi wrote: »

Albatross?

I've never seen one. Would they be dark underneath. I was thinkin a skua of some sort.

Capercaille

It wasn't an Albatross or any Skua. Possibly a Great Black backed gull seen against the sun.

cuddlycavies

Skua hanging around here ok. It's not surprising that one would see the opportunity of picking off chicks from the tops of high buildings .

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Great Skua and Arctic Skua are smaller than Herring Gulls, so based on the size described it was probably a Great Black Back Gull. However if the wingspan that the OP cites is correct then it's no gull either - only a Golden Eagle would fit the bill!

Albatrosses are southern hemisphere only.

Capercaille

Miley Square Stripe wrote: »

Great Skua and Arctic Skua are smaller than Herring Gulls, so based on the size described it was probably a Great Black Back Gull. However if the wingspan that the OP cites is correct then it's no gull either - only a Golden Eagle would fit the bill!

Albatrosses are southern hemisphere only.

Golden Eagle don't have a v shape to the wings as dodderangler said it had.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Capercaille wrote: »

Golden Eagle don't have a v shape to the wings as dodderangler said it had.

Oh I know! But the wingspan cannot be correct. I only mentioned GE to point that out. I still think it was just a GBB Gull.

dodderangler

I honestly don't think it was any bird of prey
It wasn't a buzzard or a kite or by its wing shape any bop
It was just beside the m50 in tallaght.
If it was a gbbg why were the other gulls dive bombing him.

Kess73

Great Black Back Gull is the most likely suspect. With a wingspan potentially in the 5 to 6 foot bracket it would not be far off Dodderangler's first estimate, and the other gulls mobbing it sounds right also as the Great Black Back Gull does prey upon other birds, including other species of gull, and it gets a similar reception from other gulls as raptors get from corvids.

Birdnuts

dodderangler wrote: »

I honestly don't think it was any bird of prey
It wasn't a buzzard or a kite or by its wing shape any bop
It was just beside the m50 in tallaght.
If it was a gbbg why were the other gulls dive bombing him.

GBB's are major predators of other seabirds including smaller gulls. GBB's are very large birds with a body as large as a goose. Only something like a sea-eagle would take one on

tricky D

GBBs are often mobbed by other smaller gulls. Very regular sight around my area.