As BNR has enquired about the opinions of international experts on the subject of Honey Buzzard identification on his website (points 6 and 7), the following two communications are included here for the sake of completeness. To reiterate our earlier comments, such opinions did not influence our conclusions as these had been drawn prior to these comments being made but they do give us confidence that the finding of our review are justified.
1.1) Comments from Dick Forsman (Finland) on the identification of the birds presented on BNR’s website (as reported by AR on the Birdforum discussion group on 07/10/ 2003)
Hi Andy,
I am sorry to inform you, but practically all of
the photos on the Honey
Buzz web site are actually Common
Buzzards!!! The only convincing Honey
Buzzards I could find were
the ones from Liege, Belgium. Also the bird from
Perthshire,
Scotland looks like a HB. All the others can be identified as
Com
Buzzards.
The pictures are too many to start to go
through them one by one, but in
most pictures the pattern of the
secondaries, the underwing coverts and the
body show the
diagnostic Com Buz characters, while in some cases the shapes
of
the birds clearly show them to be Com Buzzards.
In case of any
seriously difficult cases I am willing to defend my case
further,
but as for the current pictures I think they speak for
themself.
Cheers
Dick
1.2) Comments (dated 03/10/2003) from Clive Finlayson (Gibraltar) on the identification of the birds pictured on BNR’s website as presented to us by Steve Holliday who had contacted Clive Finlayson privately with a request for his opinions.
OK Stevo,
I've now looked at all these pics.
This guy doesn't know what a Honey
looks like! Let's go through
them:
Liege: Yep, Honeys
Baden Baden: Honey, OK
Stauffen: This is a Buzzard. Probably eastern
subspecies or hybrid -
vulpinus
Leisberg: This is not a Honey. Prob. vulpinus
type again
Hexhamshire 1 (2002): This is a Buzzard
Derwent: Buzzard
Allen: Buzzard
Hexhamshire 2 (2003): Buzzard
Bywell: Bad pics but probably Buzzard
South Tyne: Buzzard
Dunkeld: Bad pics but probably Honey Buzzard,
almost definite
Tampere, Finland: vulpinus Buzzard
I
can send you Honey pics from Gib if you want!!!
Clive
NB. the Tampere images have since been changed and now show Honey Buzzards (CRC)
Further comments after Steve Holliday asked if Clive Finlayson would mind his opinions on the Northumberland birds being forwarded to the CRC
Steve,
I don't mind at all. You can state that
I have NO DOUBT that these are not
Honeys. I should know after
watching and photographing them since 1966!!!
Be in touch re
spring soon.
Clive
