Reply With QuoteI saw a sparrowhawk bring down a pigeon in similar fashion, it was brutal.
Eddie
Was just walking along an urban street when a sudden flurry or feathers from beneath a car was followed by a pigeon which was followed by what looked like a falcon. It caught the pigeon in flight, sat on a doorstep and started pecking it. I was expecting Craig David to open the door!
I saw a sparrowhawk bring down a pigeon in similar fashion, it was brutal.
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
Lots and lots of Red Kites, buzzards, and other raptors around where I live these days.
Love it.
I recall a programme of repopulation began about twenty or so years ago, with breeding pairs being released in several strategic locations around the UK. Since then they have been spreading out.
I think the location nearest to us was Aylesbury Vale - if you go there to the area near the Hellfire Caves the place is teaming with them.
So clever my foot fell off.
It was brutal but mesmerising and I was expecting to see a cat following the pigeon. Red Kites were a common sight when I lived in Oxfordshire but they don't appear this far south.
Last edited by bonzo697; 14th August 2017 at 16:26.
Lived in Berks most of my life until 2008 when i moved up north and never saw a Red Kite, since moving back 18months ago they're bloomin everywhere, all round Slough and near my work in Woodley
If it was a pigeon then I'd think it was more likely to be a sparrowhawk than a kestrel, as kestrels tend to eat small mammals like voles and mice, though they will take smaller birds as well as insects.
Regardless, what a wonderful sight to see.
As with others on this thread, I am seeing more red kites than any other raptor near me - the population has boomed in recent years to the point where I am sure they are displacing other species. I still see buzzards, sparrowhawks and the occasional kestrel, but the kites significantly outnumber them. I have stood on the platform at Didcot Parkway and counted six or seven over the town itself!
I remember that after seeing the movie "The Birds" I awoke to find that the wife had covered me in breadcrumbs and opened had the window.
I recall watching The Birds on TV as a boy - scared the life out of me!
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We rent a 4 acre field up here in rural N Shropshire, and we're overrun with wildlife, Foxes, Badgers, Buzzards etc etc.
Almost everyday, on the poo picking run, we find rabbit carcases in the field, a few weeks ago there was a small lamb carcase in the field next to ours.
I often see the Buzzards sitting on the fence posts waiting for their next meal, and they don't fly away even when you get quite close.... next door has had chickens taken by them too..
The organic farm near me raises chickens. There is a line of a dozen or more telegraph poles running across the rearing field, each of which is host to either a buzzard or a kite.Originally Posted by Enoch
Whilst it is quite a sight to see - and one can of course make an argument that the predator-to-prey ratio has been artificially influenced in this case - it generally makes a nonsense of the claim that they only eat carrion.
I can confirm that the red kite population in Abingdon, Oxfordshire is thriving.
Weirdly I see less of them when I'm home in rural Cheshire.
I love seeing the buzzards near us and we've just started spotting kites too. The Red Kite reintroduction has been so successful I fear they may become a pest in the not too distant future and I hope they don't out compete the buzzards.
Having looked online it was most likely a Sparrowhawk, although to me the markings looked more like a Peregrine.
Last edited by bonzo697; 14th August 2017 at 16:27.
This is the one I witnessed mashing a pigeon.
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
He's got his eye on you Eddie.This is the one I witnessed mashing a pigeon.
Eddie
You're next.
So clever my foot fell off.
I'm guessing it was a slow worm...
seriously though it could easily have been a Peregrine,
where I work there are plenty of sea birds and pigeons, I often see a Peregrine circling above.
On 2 occasions I have seen a 'pigeon takedown' and the aftermath, which I found mesmerising
The peregrine is a beautiful bird
Common occurrence in my back garden, it's either my Air rifle or a sparrow hawk that takes pigeon.
We also have bats certain times of the year, and low and behold sitting in next doors Chesnut tree the other evening a Barn Owl
Last edited by hilly10; 14th August 2017 at 19:35.
I liked seeing the kites when I commuted up the M40 to Oxford.
In India, there are often hundreds of similar looking kites in urban areas. Can be a bit disconcerting.
I'm a few hundred yards from the Crystal Palace transmitter and a pair of peregrines sit on it ogling the pigeons. I think they roost on the Croydon south transmitter a mile away, there is an owl across the road in the nature reserve/dulwich wood. Being born a country boy I'm amazed to hear and see these birds in london.
I live in Leicestershire and all I ever see are bloody pigeons. Stupid birds, I do see the odd buzzard but mainly pigeons.
I once saw a man with a Golden Eagle on his arm, incredible bird I would love to see them flying about.
Literally with in eye shot we have, buzzards, kestrels, and sparrowhawks. And 2 owls. It's absolutely mesmerising watching them. Even the mrs appreciates the joy of having these wonderful birds so close to our home. Oh and it keeps the crows on their toes..
If anyone wants to start a sparrowhawk breeding programme in SouthEast London, I think we've the resources needed to sustain it already in place.
poor picture but get this one in the back garden on a regular basis , we have a large group of hedge sparrows which act as a buffet service.
We live out in the sticks a bit and have had a starling hit our front window full tilt trying to escape a local kestrel type thingy, the window won and i had to bury the bird after the shock of the bang when it hit said window . We also have owls in the barn up the road causing a right royal racket in the night . I have seen said owl in action in the night and it was pretty amazing silently swooping down the lane past the house ( i was up for a pee and having a nosey out of a window)
Several weeks ago I glanced out of the window while upstairs at the computer and there was a magpie with a blackbird fledgling pinned down on it's back. The magpie literally tore the bird to pieces at a great speed, it was clearly a gonner as it's entrails were being ripped out. It was really very brutal to witness.
F.T.F.A.
I'm up in North Norfolk and was minding my business reading the paper on a chair in the back garden last week when I spotted a Red Kite lazily circling above - he was gracefully angling his tail to make slow circles, as I noticed every other bird in the garden had suddenly disappeared and fallen silent. Awesome looking thing, glad I'm not on his lunch list!
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I presume these are black kites. Black kites were once very common in London, I believe.
P.S. Or not, having done some more reading. It could have been red kites that were once common on the streets of London. No one is absolutely sure, it seems.
Last edited by markrlondon; 16th August 2017 at 14:10.
There's no getting away from the fact that they are wonderful looking birds - very graceful when on the wing.
Here's a shot of one I saw when out walking the dogs a few weeks ago.
Yes, I think black kites having googled a picture of them.
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