Your day's wildlife

[nickyboy]

A sparrowhawk on two separate occasions in the last two days. The first, I was at the front of my house and it flashed past me, through the five bar gate the neighbours have, and landed about fifty yards away. Ten seconds later it flew off. The second, today, one hammered past me whilst I was out walking. They are incredibly agile and swift. Needless to say, no photos.

My understanding is that Sparrowhawk's rounded wings are great for manoeuvrability (perfect for flying in woods and gardens) whereas falcons' pointy wings are the business for straight line speed, but not so great for changing direction

 

[Tail End Charlie]

My understanding is that Sparrowhawk's rounded wings are great for manoeuvrability (perfect for flying in woods and gardens) whereas falcons' pointy wings are the business for straight line speed, but not so great for changing direction

Bit like a Spitfire then!

ETA informative as ever, nickyboy, thank you.

 

[gbb]

Funny how birdlife populations change, sometimes for the better.
Today, as many other days, a buzzard perched on a fence or pole alongside the A1M between Stilton and Peterborough, they've become a regular sight.
Now I'm nearly 60 and since I was a kid in Huntingdonshire in the 60s, Notts in the 70s and Peterborough since the 80s...i rarely ever ever saw buzzards locally. We drove through the west country some years ago and I was dumbstruck how many we saw. I now see them in many places around Peterborough, and its striking because youve a much much better chance of seeing Red Kite which compared to Buzzard are relatively uncommon.

Magpies, they'e almost like rabbits, everywhere. Again, until maybe the early Noughties...id NEVER seen one despite many hours spent birdwatching with my old dad.

 

[Tail End Charlie]

Yesterday I saw a near-white buzzard.

I was on foot, and rounded a hedge to see a buzzard-shaped bird on the ground in a field about 30 metres away......but it had a head and neck so white that it looked like an African fish eagle. White tailed eagle? I wasn't familiar with those, being down in East Anglia. I watched it for some while, (naked eye.........I was walking the dog) and it eventually took off revealing a creamy white body, and pale but flecked wings. It was absolutely stunning, and I was able to catch up with it a few hundred yards on where it was sitting in a tree. It was definitely a buzzard, but a colour-variant I've not seen before. I've seen really dark buzzards, chocolatie-brown, but never anything like this. Anyone anywhere near Little Henny in Suffolk might want to keep their eyes open and a pair of binoculars to hand.

Sounds a great sighting. Talking of buzzards, is it just me, or do they fly much much lower in the winter than at other times of the year?

 

[MikeG]

Well, there are no thermals in the winter, so they can't just soar up effortlessly.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Well, there are no thermals in the winter, so they can't just soar up effortlessly.

No thermals in winter? Is that true though, any warmer air is going to rise and the convection is going to be driven by the difference in temperature, isn't it? (I am not a scientist, you may have gathered....!)

 

[annedonnelly]

My understanding is that Sparrowhawk's rounded wings are great for manoeuvrability (perfect for flying in woods and gardens) whereas falcons' pointy wings are the business for straight line speed, but not so great for changing direction

One of the David Attenborough programmes showed the Sparrowhawks in woodland, but it was basically only the smaller male who could hunt in the woods. The female needed more open spaces. I think it was the same programme that had a wonderful sequence of the youngsters trying to learn to hunt - I think it involved Jays and Red Squirrels.

 

[MikeG]

No thermals in winter? Is that true though, any warmer air is going to rise and the convection is going to be driven by the difference in temperature, isn't it? (I am not a scientist, you may have gathered....!)

Wiki:

As it requires rising heated air, thermalling is only effective in mid-latitudes from spring into late summer. During winter the solar heat can only create weak thermals

So "no thermals" is overstating it somewhat. Very weak and infrequent would have been a better description.

 

[Maverick Goose]

I was told there were Little Owls near the beach so I've been out looking for them. No sign - I expect they're sheltering from the wind. But the next field along was full of Golden Plover all hunkered down facing into the wind. I didn't attempt to count them but I've seen a comment that the flock is about 2,000.

So worth a walk out anyway.

I spotted a Little Owl on my commute home t'other night-sat on a fencepost just outside Penrith.

 

[slowmotion]

Here are two bad photos from last week...an Indian Eagle and

a Kingfisher

 

[gbb]

Well, there are no thermals in the winter, so they can't just soar up effortlessly.

Reading this reminds me of the effortlessness with which a big bird may gain height when thermals are available. I used to build model gliders and my best one would be towed up with a very long length of 20lb breaking strain fishing line. Just launch the glider and feel the lift is incredible, straining at the line and up it would go...effortlessly.

 

[MikeG]

Reading this reminds me of the effortlessness with which a big bird may gain height when thermals are available. I used to build model gliders and my best one would be towed up with a very long length of 20lb breaking strain fishing line. Just launch the glider and feel the lift is incredible, straining at the line and up it would go...effortlessly.

Reminds me of watching guys flying radio controlled gliders off a ridge in Bradgate Park, Leicester, many years ago. They got insane altitudes from these things, and I once saw one fall apart at an enormous height. The body crashed straight down, but the wings disappeared over the treeline......they stayed up for many minutes. I've no idea if they were ever retrieved.

 

[Aravis]

Whilst waiting for my car to be MOT'd, I spent a very cold half hour this morning at Lydney Harbour. There weren't many birds around, but there was one solitary redshank nicely lit by the morning sun:

 

[albal]

Walking back from asda along Holes bay for the second time spotted. Great Northern diver.

 

[potsy]