Checking out my 'new neighbour'

[ufkacbln]

Sadly these are often victims of Chav mentality as when hovering they are easy prey for air guns.

We used to have a Falconer on the airfields and I often xrayed these birds to assess fractures and look for embedded pellets.

The little Bu88ers never used to hold their breath when told to !

 

[Cubist]

Sparrowhawk is more likely in an urban environment. Was it wearing yellow britches?

Mother in law was just telling me about a sparrowhawk taking a pigeon off her bird table the other day, and whaddaya know, a huge cloud of feathers and the collared dove that was on the garage roof did a pretty quick disappearing act! I only got a brief glimpse of the sparrowhawk as it took its lunch over the nursing home behind the garden.

Buzzards do take live prey.... you're probably thinking of Kites which are scavengers. That's not a buzzard on the photos though, they're twice that size.

 

[Kirstie]

The shape of its head also isn't very buzzard shaped. It's flatter on top, whereas a buzzard is rounded. I would agree with others assessments that it's a falcon or a hawk.

 

[Bman]

Peregrine Falcons are amazing birds. They are the fastest animal in the world

 

[Amanda P]

Hawks in general are quite variable in colour, so it isn't always a good diagnostic feature - especially when you only really see them in silhouette.

While it's true that buzzards will take live prey, they're generally too lazy to go for much other than worms and beetles. They'd much rather eat dead rabbits or stillborn lambs than bother to kill something themselves.

It'll be a big hen sparrowhawk. You'll see it hunting by suddenly swooshing around a corner and surprising any birds that way. I've had one hit my chest doing that - I don't know which of us was more surprised.

There's one that patrols my garden quite regularly and takes sparrows and finches. If I'm sitting out in the garden, I can sometimes hear the victim screaming as it's carried off. Once there was a sudden silence from the small birds, a sssswwoosh over my head and some blood drops fell on the pages of the book I was reading.

I never know whether to be impressed at the sparrowhawk's skill or appalled at the fate of the bird it's taken.

 

[Night Train]

Falcon or hawk, it is a most welcome neighbour from my point of view.
No more need to clean up pigeon poo from my doorstep every morning and it is now worth while cleaning the external drain pipes and window sills.

Interestingly we are also getting more song birds.

 

[Piemaster]

I'm sure there is a video of a hawk v. pigeon filmed in London amongst some of the taller buildings there. Maybe eve an Attenborough commentary on it. Was fascinating to watch, superior speed of the hawk v. agility of the pigeon.

 

[Crackle]

Whatever it is can you send it here. We've got pigeons and they're a damn frickin nuisance. I've managed now to cover most of their roosting areas on my roof and others will have to wait until tiles need replacing.

In the meantime they've become quite wary of me because I can hit a pigeon with a tennis ball at three storeys height and have several times. So they fly off when I appear but they have short memories or a fair amount of front because they still come back, less so but they like to try it on.

These days the movement of my arm is enough to get them flapping, which is just as well because it's a lucky bounce which sees the ball back in my garden. The neighbours dogs are benefitting from my pigeon war though!

 

[cookiemonster]

Peregrine Falcons are amazing birds. They are the fastest animal in the world

They are.

One was clocked a few years ago on a test, chasing after live prey at a speed approaching 200mph!

Pigeons don't stand a chance

 

[Arch]

I'm sure there is a video of a hawk v. pigeon filmed in London amongst some of the taller buildings there. Maybe eve an Attenborough commentary on it. Was fascinating to watch, superior speed of the hawk v. agility of the pigeon.

I saw some film on a BBC programme, of a sparrowhawk following a small bird through fairly dense woodland. It was shown in very slow motion and the incredible thing was the way the sparrowhawk's body twisted and turned to get through the undergrowth, while all the time the head stayed rock steady, focussed on the prey.

 

[Panter]

I'm very lucky to see Sparowhawks quite regularly on my commute through the country lanes.
As said, the speed at which they twist and turn through tight coppiced woodland is just astonishing.

Also seen some Buzzards in increasing numbers over the last couple of Years which is lovely as they were pretty scarce in Kent.

 

[Arch]

I saw several what-I-think-were-kites passing through Oxfordshire on the train yesterday. Wonderful looking birds, just soaring around. Saw one once while out riding near Harwood House, where there's been a re-introduction. You really appreciate their size when one swoops over a field next to you.

 

[Panter]

They certainly are magnificent, they have huge wingspans.
Apparently they were very common in London a few Years ago, until we shot and poisoned them all...

Wonderful to see them making a comeback

 

[dellzeqq]

http://uk.video.search.yahoo.com/se...falcon&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-702

I thought the 200mph thing was a bit over the top, but.......you were right! The pigeons don't stand a chance.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I saw several what-I-think-were-kites passing through Oxfordshire on the train yesterday. Wonderful looking birds, just soaring around. Saw one once while out riding near Harwood House, where there's been a re-introduction. You really appreciate their size when one swoops over a field next to you.

Red kites Arch - quite a common sight in the Chilterns now.