Sparrowhawk\pigeon interface

[BigMon]

Opened the curtains this morning to see a sparrowhawk on the lawn with a still alive (at that point) pigeon while 5 magpies were in the nearby plum tree going mad at it.

Fortunately they've buggered off and left her to it.

Apparently this is likely to be a female sparrowhawk who won't have fed for several days. Our tomcat is going mad in the kitchen window!

I've always loved birds of prey. Although I won't enjoy the cleanup what a privilege it is to see this.

[Silvanus]

Pretty cool, love seeing things like that. Don't worry about cleaning up, other than a few feathers, nature will clean it up in no time.

[Zarco]

I found a pigeon carcass in my back garden a few years ago. Fairly sure it was a red kite. I live in Reading on the edge of the Chilterns and there's loads of them. One of the houses that backed on to our back garden had a pigeon coop, and we would regularly see the kites circling and making the odd dive.

[Jasandjules]

Last one in our garden didn't leave much when s/he left......

[Roofless Toothless]

At my last house a guy a few doors down had a shed full of racing pigeons. I liked to see them out circling and having a bit of a stretch. He would tell me about them being shipped off to distant parts for a race.

The house next door was rented to a group of young men, and one of them acquired a large bird of prey, which he explained to me (after having retrieved it after it escaped) was the largest that was allowed to be kept legally in the UK. I forget the name.

My neighbour with the pigeons was not impressed. A few days later the bird of prey fell off its perch, having apparently eaten something that didn’t agree with it. Pigeon man just whistled and looked innocently at the sky when I mentioned this to him.

[Silvanus]

Zarco said:

I found a pigeon carcass in my back garden a few years ago. Fairly sure it was a red kite. I live in Reading on the edge of the Chilterns and there's loads of them. One of the houses that backed on to our back garden had a pigeon coop, and we would regularly see the kites circling and making the odd dive.

Kites won't hunt healthy pigeons, they rarely hunt live prey at all, although they may have a go at an injured one on the ground. However, they will pick up and move any carrion they find that isn't too big to a secluded spot to eat. Ones round me are enjoying feasting on squirrels and wood pigeons, lots get hit eating/collected crushed acorns from the edge of the road.

[Silvanus]

Roofless Toothless said:

At my last house a guy a few doors down had a shed full of racing pigeons. I liked to see them out circling and having a bit of a stretch. He would tell me about them being shipped off to distant parts for a race.

The house next door was rented to a group of young men, and one of them acquired a large bird of prey, which he explained to me (after having retrieved it after it escaped) was the largest that was allowed to be kept legally in the UK. I forget the name.

My neighbour with the pigeons was not impressed. A few days later the bird of prey fell off its perch, having apparently eaten something that didn’t agree with it. Pigeon man just whistled and looked innocently at the sky when I mentioned this to him.

If he actually did something, pigeon man sounds a tt, knowing how the larger birds of prey hunt, none would be natural pigeon hunters, they would scare the st out of them however. If he was to be found doing something like that he would be in fairly big trouble and rightly so.

[Roofless Toothless]

You are quite right, I got a good close up look at the bird and it was certainly a magnificent creature.

I think my pigeon keeping neighbour was concerned not with having his pigeons eaten, but them showing a certain reluctance to fly home quickly in the knowledge that a slightly less than friendly welcome might await them.

By the way, when the hawk escaped I was a bit miffed myself as we had recently bought a kitten, and it was at the stage when it was taking its first tentative steps outside. The owner of the bird told me that that kitten was not in danger as the bird was only a young one and had not been taught how to hunt yet.

I replied by pointing out that I had not shown my cat how to crap in a box, but he was managing to do that OK.

[DodgyGeezer]

awoke to a lot of feather on the driveway the other day - no carcass or blood though so not sure if it was a close call for a pigeon with a fox/cat/owl or just a silly bugger who'd flown into our wall and then just shook it off

[Silvanus]

Roofless Toothless said:

You are quite right, I got a good close up look at the bird and it was certainly a magnificent creature.

I think my pigeon keeping neighbour was concerned not with having his pigeons eaten, but them showing a certain reluctance to fly home quickly in the knowledge that a slightly less than friendly welcome might await them.

By the way, when the hawk escaped I was a bit miffed myself as we had recently bought a kitten, and it was at the stage when it was taking its first tentative steps outside. The owner of the bird told me that that kitten was not in danger as the bird was only a young one and had not been taught how to hunt yet.

I replied by pointing out that I had not shown my cat how to crap in a box, but he was managing to do that OK.

Yet none are excuses to poison someones pet. I understand why pigeon or kitten owners might have concerns but there are other ways to deal with issues.

[Roofless Toothless]

Silvanus said:

Yet none are excuses to poison someones pet. I understand why pigeon or kitten owners might have concerns but there are other ways to deal with issues.

Where did I say it was?

[Silvanus]

Roofless Toothless said:

Silvanus said:

Yet none are excuses to poison someones pet. I understand why pigeon or kitten owners might have concerns but there are other ways to deal with issues.

Where did I say it was?

I didn't say you did, perhaps we got crossed wires, I was referring to pigeon man

[Zarco]

Silvanus said:

Zarco said:

I found a pigeon carcass in my back garden a few years ago. Fairly sure it was a red kite. I live in Reading on the edge of the Chilterns and there's loads of them. One of the houses that backed on to our back garden had a pigeon coop, and we would regularly see the kites circling and making the odd dive.

Kites won't hunt healthy pigeons, they rarely hunt live prey at all, although they may have a go at an injured one on the ground. However, they will pick up and move any carrion they find that isn't too big to a secluded spot to eat. Ones round me are enjoying feasting on squirrels and wood pigeons, lots get hit eating/collected crushed acorns from the edge of the road.

I found the carcass tucked away down the 'alley way' between my house and the neighbours house, so that tallys.

Generally I do see them feeding on road kill. Quite a sight when they spread their wings and take off as you round a bend.

[Silvanus]

Zarco said:

Silvanus said:

Zarco said:

I found a pigeon carcass in my back garden a few years ago. Fairly sure it was a red kite. I live in Reading on the edge of the Chilterns and there's loads of them. One of the houses that backed on to our back garden had a pigeon coop, and we would regularly see the kites circling and making the odd dive.

Kites won't hunt healthy pigeons, they rarely hunt live prey at all, although they may have a go at an injured one on the ground. However, they will pick up and move any carrion they find that isn't too big to a secluded spot to eat. Ones round me are enjoying feasting on squirrels and wood pigeons, lots get hit eating/collected crushed acorns from the edge of the road.

I found the carcass tucked away down the 'alley way' between my house and the neighbours house, so that tallys.

Generally I do see them feeding on road kill. Quite a sight when they spread their wings and take off as you round a bend.

Fantastic birds, I see them daily and I've even been lucky enough to handle one, yet I still stop to watch them. Maybe its because they weren't around when I was younger, of perhaps it's because they are raptors. They've certainly got used to us humans again like they did many years ago. Some animals certainly do exploit the human built environment very well.

[joema]

BigMon said:

Opened the curtains this morning to see a sparrowhawk on the lawn with a still alive (at that point) pigeon while 5 magpies were in the nearby plum tree going mad at it.

Fortunately they've buggered off and left her to it.

Apparently this is likely to be a female sparrowhawk who won't have fed for several days. Our tomcat is going mad in the kitchen window!

I've always loved birds of prey. Although I won't enjoy the cleanup what a privilege it is to see this.

We had one recently. Well done on getting much better photo's!

[bigpriest]

DodgyGeezer said:

awoke to a lot of feather on the driveway the other day - no carcass or blood though so not sure if it was a close call for a pigeon with a fox/cat/owl or just a silly bugger who'd flown into our wall and then just shook it off

I've noticed the local magpies tolerate the pigeons to a point but if there's too many they get a bit tetchy and dive-bomb them, pecking out a clump of feathers.

[BigMon]

joema said:

BigMon said:

Opened the curtains this morning to see a sparrowhawk on the lawn with a still alive (at that point) pigeon while 5 magpies were in the nearby plum tree going mad at it.

Fortunately they've buggered off and left her to it.

Apparently this is likely to be a female sparrowhawk who won't have fed for several days. Our tomcat is going mad in the kitchen window!

I've always loved birds of prey. Although I won't enjoy the cleanup what a privilege it is to see this.

We had one recently. Well done on getting much better photo's!

Thanks. I opened the curtains, gawped like a Looney Toons cartoon (perhaps Yosemite Sam) and shouted to my wife who leapt out of bed like she'd been touched with a live wire and galloped off to get the camera.

I live in South Devon and we are blessed with raptors down here. I most commonly see buzzards and sparrowhawks but once (and only once) I saw a merlin. We were driving down to my friend's barn and it was perched on a gatepost on the lane. It flew off in front of the car and as it banked left and right it's wingtips touched the ground. Magical.

I'd love to see red kites. I'd stop to look at them too.

[Silvanus]

BigMon said:

joema said:

BigMon said:

Opened the curtains this morning to see a sparrowhawk on the lawn with a still alive (at that point) pigeon while 5 magpies were in the nearby plum tree going mad at it.

Fortunately they've buggered off and left her to it.

Apparently this is likely to be a female sparrowhawk who won't have fed for several days. Our tomcat is going mad in the kitchen window!

I've always loved birds of prey. Although I won't enjoy the cleanup what a privilege it is to see this.

We had one recently. Well done on getting much better photo's!

Thanks. I opened the curtains, gawped like a Looney Toons cartoon (perhaps Yosemite Sam) and shouted to my wife who leapt out of bed like she'd been touched with a live wire and galloped off to get the camera.

I live in South Devon and we are blessed with raptors down here. I most commonly see buzzards and sparrowhawks but once (and only once) I saw a merlin. We were driving down to my friend's barn and it was perched on a gatepost on the lane. It flew off in front of the car and as it banked left and right it's wingtips touched the ground. Magical.

I'd love to see red kites. I'd stop to look at them too.

If you are ever travelling up country I could tell you a couple of spots you'd be guaranteed to see kites in groups. Although I don't expect it to be long until a few more crop up down your way, can see Exeter or Plymouth becoming areas of highest density. Shouldn't cause any issues to the buzzard population either, a few studies have shown they will live alongside each other happily as can exploit slightly different niches. I often see kites and buzzards in the same bit of the airspace.

Do you ever see peregrines on the coast? when I lived west I used to see them hunting the cliffs, awesome things.

[BigMon]

Silvanus said:

If you are ever travelling up country I could tell you a couple of spots you'd be guaranteed to see kites in groups. Although I don't expect it to be long until a few more crop up down your way, can see Exeter or Plymouth becoming areas of highest density. Shouldn't cause any issues to the buzzard population either, a few studies have shown they will live alongside each other happily as can exploit slightly different niches. I often see kites and buzzards in the same bit of the airspace.

Do you ever see peregrines on the coast? when I lived west I used to see them hunting the cliffs, awesome things.

Ooh yes please. If you have some places where you can see kites I'd love to know them.

Sadly my knowledge of birds isn't great. I need a bird spotter app on my phone I think.

We were walking along a road at the top of a bay today that goes through a wood and heard a very odd call that I didn't recognise then saw (I think) a bird of prey fly onto a branch. I couldn't see it clearly as it was silhouetted against the sun. Took a picture that you can see below.

Maybe a peregrine?

[Silvanus]

BigMon said:

Ooh yes please. If you have some places where you can see kites I'd love to know them.

Sadly my knowledge of birds isn't great. I need a bird spotter app on my phone I think.

We were walking along a road at the top of a bay today that goes through a wood and heard a very odd call that I didn't recognise then saw (I think) a bird of prey fly onto a branch. I couldn't see it clearly as it was silhouetted against the sun. Took a picture that you can see below.

Maybe a peregrine?

Could be, tricky to tell from that silhouette. I see kites regularly where I am but I still stop and stare. There are some really great spots around Reading, Henley and High Wycombe. The Chilterns have loads, its where the reintroduction in England took place. I can't wait to finally spot a sea eagle, those and goldens are the last on my raptor to see list, I should probably go out and look as I'm not really a bird spotter, just outside a lot.