Birds in Western Europe

[Rotarran]

I went on a trip to France and Germany and saw a couple of birds that I'm a bit confused by.

First one is this water bird that resembles some sort of Coot or Rail.  I saw this in the river Ill in Strasbourg France...and some Eurasian Coots were indeed nearby.  


This bird I saw soaring over the Kaiserstuhl near Freiburg Germany.  My guide and I saw plenty of Common Buzzards flying above us but this one seemed a bit different.  Just looking to confirm.


Thank you

[thouc]

1. Juvenile Common Moorhen
2. I believe it's a Common Buzzard, they can be pretty variable.

[Rotarran]

Thanks Thouc.  I didn't think of the Moorhen.  And yeah the Common Buzzard is kinda like the European Red-tailed Hawk...very common and can be quite variable.  But is there some characteristic to look for in the CB like the RTH belt?

[thouc]

I'm not sure if there's one sure identifying mark.

Here's an article with photo examples of varying Common Buzzards: http://www.devonbirds.org/birdwatching/articles/common_buzzard