very unusual bird in my garden

[crisgal]

today a bird came and sat on my garden fence and stayed for ages.
It was really big and fat, maybe 10-12 inches high. I couldn't see its feet or its tail.
It was reddish brown and dark browny grey with white on the collar sides.
it's beak was slightly hooked and yellowish.
it was absolutely pouring down and it just sat there.
I have been on some websites to try and identify it but can't seem to find it.
Unfortunately, a lot of the photos are of birds in flight and I didn't see it fly.
To my (very) untrained eye, and looking throuigh the photos, it looked a bit like a common buzzard or a merlin ( but it didn't have any markings - just solid colour)
Does anyone know what it might have been?

[sn�gs]

Sparrowhawk? Kestrel? Felicity Kendall?

[crisgal]

aren't they spotted or whatever you call it?
I forgot to say that I live on the north west coast but there is woodland and marshland nearby.

[DaisyMae]

Red Kite

[crisgal]

i've looked at some fab pics of the red kite, daisymae, and it is the correct shape - i think! But why would it not have any markings? Are they like that when young? I don't know why but i got the impression it was a young bird as it just looked so plump and.......cheeky!

[burnhal]

Hate to say this but you description is of a wood pigeon!!! especially the white collar patches

A buzzard has a body length of some 20 inches. A red kite is similar in size. I guess it could have been a smaller hawk with its feathers fluffed up but the colours do not match at all. Possibility of an escapee but solid colours and raptors dont go together

[brenda]

Female pheasant--or sparrow hawk--my guess.