Whilst working on the house, I took the occasional break and lay back to sky-watch on a cloudless and sunny afternoon. A couple of Buzzards were seen as well as a large female Sparrowhawk over the garden and another Sparrowhawk distantly displaying. About 4pm it got very exciting when a buteo-like bird drifted very high over due south. It didn't look quite right for Buzzard and I immediately thought it might be something different. As I screamed to Tom to get the 'scope I jokingly said I'd got a Booted Eagle. Indeed, had I been somewhere elsewhere in the world, like Spain for example, rather than my back garden, I wouldn't have thought twice about calling it as such.
Despite the height I could clearly make out white coverts contrasting with dark primaries. I did my best to turn it into a pale Buzzard or Honey Buzzard (it did look quite long tailed at times), but could not do so: There should have been no contrast between the coverrts and secondaries and presumably instead dark carpal patches. Plumage-wise, Osprey was the obvious alternative, but the shape was completely wrong.
I watched it through bin's for several minutes as it drifted slowly whilst waiting for the 'scope to arrive. When it did, it immediately pulled its wings back and went into a very fast swooping flight looking exactly as a pale phase Booted should. The kids managed to get on to a 'dot' and I was left equally frustrated. Who knows what it was!
The other point of interest was whilst up a ladder painting the west side of the house: A Swift flew just above my head into a small hole above the bedroom.
