On 12/03/2014 17:42, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Wed, 12 Mar 2014 15:44:19 +0000, RustyHinge wrote:

We've just seen a bird perched on the back of one of the garden
chairs,

Fromthe forky tail it would seem to have been a kite, but in the air,
they appear a bit bigger than pigeons.

Just a bit!

If the garden chairs are the light plastic moulded things I don't
think a kite could perch on the back it would be too heavy or the
draft from it's wings would blow it over.

Kites are big, Around a 6' wing span, that's bigger than a Buzzard
which is only 4' ish...

Think I'd go for a Merlin.

Buteo buteo (Common Buzzard)
Length: 51-57 cm (20-23")
Wing Span: 113-128 cm (45-51")
Weight: 550-1300 g (1¼-3 lb)

Milvus milvus (Red Kite)
Length: 60-66 cm (24-26")
Wing Span: 145-165 cm (57-65")
Weight: 750-1000 g (1½-2¼ lb)

Falco columbarius (Merlin)
Length: 24–33 cm (9.4–13.0")
Wing Span: 50–73 cm (20–29")
Weight: 165-230 g (5.8-8.1 oz)

In all cases females are larger than males.
--
Phil Cook