Eagles or buzzards

G&T22

Ok so I am trying to figure out if what I have seen over the last say 3 years are buzzards or eagles.
Do buzzards fly at high altitude circling in groups of 3-4 or is it more likely eagles?
These birds I have seen are up really really high in the sky. I usually hear them before i actually find them in the sky. When I see them closer they are on open ground. Only ever one on its own. Dark brown in colour but I did see another which looked more grey at the side of a field (sheep in field) that one was.really big. However I do not see these in a mountainous area. I have always been a big fan of wildlife and like to think I have some knowledge and I would say eagles?
Thanks

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I would default to Buzzard by the description and likelihood

Kamili

Heres an example of the Buzzard from underneath, might help with identification.

https://www.birdwatchireland.ie/IrelandsBirds/Raptors/Buzzard/tabid/396/Default.aspx



And here is what they would sound like

cameramonkey

G&T22 wrote: »

Ok so I am trying to figure out if what I have seen over the last say 3 years are buzzards or eagles.
Do buzzards fly at high altitude circling in groups of 3-4 or is it more likely eagles?
These birds I have seen are up really really high in the sky. I usually hear them before i actually find them in the sky. When I see them closer they are on open ground. Only ever one on its own. Dark brown in colour but I did see another which looked more grey at the side of a field (sheep in field) that one was.really big. However I do not see these in a mountainous area. I have always been a big fan of wildlife and like to think I have some knowledge and I would say eagles?
Thanks

Where did you see them?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

cameramonkey wrote: »

Where did you see them?

Please only give a general area.

fred funk }{

Javier Narrow Shopkeeper wrote: »

Please only give a general area.

They're extremely common these days along the east coast.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

fred funk }{ wrote: »

They're extremely common these days along the east coast.

I am perfectly aware of that fact but have still had to deal with the aftermath of shooting and poisoning of them on an annual basis. And if they are common then there's no need to identify the exact location either.

It is not good practice to post the location of any raptor.

WildIreland

G&T22 wrote: »

Ok so I am trying to figure out if what I have seen over the last say 3 years are buzzards or eagles.
Do buzzards fly at high altitude circling in groups of 3-4 or is it more likely eagles?
These birds I have seen are up really really high in the sky. I usually hear them before i actually find them in the sky. When I see them closer they are on open ground. Only ever one on its own. Dark brown in colour but I did see another which looked more grey at the side of a field (sheep in field) that one was.really big. However I do not see these in a mountainous area. I have always been a big fan of wildlife and like to think I have some knowledge and I would say eagles?
Thanks

Another vote for buzzard... description and behaviour is spot on and it's a far more likely proposition. Buzzards seem to have reached some sort of population "tipping point" and over the last few years I've started to see them in numbers all over the place... even way down here on the south coast, where until recently they were relatively scarce.

Of the two re-introduced eagle species we have the only real candidate would be white-tailed eagle, which roam widely once fledged and before setting up breeding territories of their own (our golden eagles are fewer in number and tend to stay up around the reintroduction site in the mountains of Glenveigh National Park). If you'd seen a white-tailed eagle on the deck you'd be extremely unlikely to mistake it for a buzzard.

fred funk }{

Javier Narrow Shopkeeper wrote: »

I am perfectly aware of that fact but have still had to deal with the aftermath of shooting and poisoning of them on an annual basis. And if they are common then there's no need to identify the exact location either.

It is not good practice to post the location of any raptor.

I agree. Apologies, my post was a lazy post which meant to be more of a "isn't it great, there's loads about now".

G&T22

Thank you. I will keep an eye out next time.

I was told it could be a buzzard otherwise I would never have thought it could have been. I was so positive they were eagles and was going more the lines of white tailed eagles...

If it helps a rough measurement would have been 2.5-3 foot tall.

Im in County Kildare

G&T22

Sorry it definitely wasn't a white tailed eagle. Just seem a clip on youtube. More like golden eagles.

WildIreland

G&T22 wrote: »

Sorry it definitely wasn't a white tailed eagle. Just seem a clip on youtube. More like golden eagles.

Then it was definitely buzzards... no way you had three golden eagles circling over Kildare .

Kamili

Loads of Buzzards in Kildare, not really any eagles. Eagles tend not to be as vocal as the buzzards

emo72

buzzards are almost as common as crows nowadays. yeah yeah big exageration, but you get the idea. lucan to kilcock on the m4 and theres loads of them feeding on corpses i think.