Non-motoring > A peregrin in my garden Miscellaneous
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New Mon 25 Aug 14 18:49 
 A peregrin in my garden - Zero
Snacking on one of the poor resident sparrows (I found out by examining the feathers around the scene of the crime)


Just happened to peer through the kitchen door at the rain, and behind the BBQ I saw this gruesome scene.

It knew I was there and was completely impervious to me as I filmed it through the glass.

It then preened itself and looked at my from the fence as I did my CSI bit.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFwHRCrLkOA

No idea where it comes from, not seen one round here before
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New Mon 25 Aug 14 19:01 
 A peregrin in my garden - Mike H
So was that one or two peregrins you saw? ;-)
Last edited by: Mike H on Mon 25 Aug 14 at 19:01
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New Mon 25 Aug 14 19:10 
 A peregrin in my garden - Runfer D'Hills
Mower broken then?

;-)
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New Mon 25 Aug 14 19:13 
 A peregrin in my garden - CGNorwich
Is that not a sparrow hawk?

www.sutton.gov.uk/media/image/a/i/sparrowHawk01_1.jpg
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New Mon 25 Aug 14 19:14 
 A sparrow hawk in my garden - Zero
it could be!

Ok yes it is!

I'll change the title

Last edited by: Zero on Mon 25 Aug 14 at 19:16
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New Mon 25 Aug 14 19:26 
 A sparrow hawk in my garden - CGNorwich
They have an amazing ability to fly at speed through quite dense woodland which is their natural habitat. They have adapted well to suburban life often ambushing visitors at bird tables.
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New Mon 25 Aug 14 19:34 
 A sparrow hawk in my garden - Zero
Well its a new visitor round here,
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New Mon 25 Aug 14 19:38 
 A sparrow hawk in my garden - Lygonos
Heard a racket in the back garden some years back - a sparrowhawk was plucking/munching on a blackbird while the blackbird's mate was screeching at it from a nearby fence post.

Managed to walk within 4 or 5 feet of the 'hawk - it looked at me then went back to munching.

Before the days of mobile-phone cameras so no pics.
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New Mon 25 Aug 14 20:19 
 A sparrow hawk in my garden - sooty123
Not seen one of those round here. There used to be a Kestrel I used to see on the commute to work hovering about.
When commuting in the small hours I used to see a Barn Owl in the fields by the side of the road as well. Not really a twitcher but still it was interesting looking on the way to work at them.
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New Mon 25 Aug 14 20:24 
 A sparrow hawk in my garden - helicopter
We have at least one sparrowhawk living locally..SWMBO spotted one on the remains of a wood pigeon on the verge opposite Tuesday last week...

...the following day I was sitting on the patio reading the paper when I saw a sparrowhawk swoop and crash into the bush where we have peanut and grain feeders for our flock of hungry sparrows ,he was unsuccessful and had to leave empty taloned.....there was a frenzy of cheeping from the birds until he went and then an unnatural silence for the next hour or so...

Last edited by: helicopter on Mon 25 Aug 14 at 20:26
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New Mon 25 Aug 14 20:30 
 A sparrow hawk in my garden - helicopter
Looking at the film again Z, I reckon the dead bird is a pigeon, the feathers are much too long big and grey for a sparrow...
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New Mon 25 Aug 14 20:34 
 A sparrow hawk in my garden - Bromptonaut
>> Looking at the film again Z, I reckon the dead bird is a pigeon, the
>> feathers are much too long big and grey for a sparrow...

More meat than a sparrow too.
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New Mon 25 Aug 14 20:40 
 A sparrow hawk in my garden - Armel Coussine
We have those round here, and the odd red kite too. One sees them sometimes cruising lazily around at high altitude.

Only yesterday I heard the unmistakable cry of a large predatory bird just nearby. But I didn't see it and can't distinguish one eagle cry from another.

One wonders slightly whether a hungry eagle would bother with a sparrow when there were pigeons and with luck chickens available...
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New Mon 25 Aug 14 20:50 
 A sparrow hawk in my garden - Bromptonaut
Mewl like cat is usually a buzzard. Lots round home ATM, suspect they're family groups including this year's chicks.
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New Mon 25 Aug 14 21:01 
 A sparrow hawk in my garden - Armel Coussine
Perhaps one of those Bromptonaut. We have them too.
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New Mon 25 Aug 14 21:20 
 A sparrow hawk in my garden - Zero
>> Looking at the film again Z, I reckon the dead bird is a pigeon, the
>> feathers are much too long big and grey for a sparrow...

I'll re-investigate the carnage tomorrow. It could be "fat pigeon" who wanders around the garden. He was very fat and very slow.
Last edited by: Zero on Mon 25 Aug 14 at 21:21
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New Mon 25 Aug 14 21:28 
 A sparrow hawk in my garden - Kevin
A sparrowhawk takes a dive through our garden every now and again hoping to catch an unwary visitor to our feeder.

It comes in at a ridiculous speed and performs some impressive aerobatics to avoid the fence and trees behind the feeder. So far this year I've seen it catch one greenfinch, miss loads of times and hit the fence once.

The greenfinch was casually plucked before being carried off, presumably to feed the kids.

Never seen it go for a pigeon although I wish it would. There are plenty of the stupid things around but they're all the size of a turkey - probably wouldn't fit in a sparrowhawk nest freezer.
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New Mon 25 Aug 14 21:31 
 A peregrin in my garden - henry k
The action was well captured especially on a rotten day like today.

I only live a few miles from you and in the last few years I have only seen two.
The first one made me jump as it landed with a thump (with its victim ) a couple of feet from me on the lawn. We both looked at each other and it flew off with its meal.

The other time one was on the lawn with its meal. It was a gloomy day and I only have poor photos of it. We watched for quite a while until it departed. I was amazed how little was left of its prey.
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New Mon 25 Aug 14 23:29 
 A peregrin in my garden - legacylad
They have nested just up the road from me at Malham Cove these past 20 years. From early April till early August the YDNP Authority & RSPB have a couple of scopes in daily attendance where you can watch them raise their young. A pleasant stroll over the tops to Malham is a nice way of spending the afternoon.
Never seen one in my garden though. Plenty of pheasants though which are very friendly, and their young are very comical.
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New Fri 5 Sep 14 13:16 
 A peregrin in my garden - henry k
Yesterday, when I was out , SWMBO noted a bird distress call from the garden.
Todays task was to collect the bits and feathers of one of the two recently fledged blackbirds that we had been so pleased to watch in the new nest in the stump of our old apple tree.
The local sparrowhawk is still around.
Sad as we have so fewvbirds in our garden but thats nature!
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New Fri 5 Sep 14 14:14 
 A peregrin in my garden - BiggerBadderDave
"Yesterday, when I was out"

Congratulations. Be proud.
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