Pigeons
A week or so back I was standing in the street chatting with a neighbour when all the feral pigeons suddenly took off. they zipped this way and that across the sky in a mad panic. When Iooked around to see what had upset them I was lucky enough to spot a bird of prey hunting the pigeons. This is something I have not seen since I moved down here eight years ago. I guess this was a young bird that has left home to look for a territory of his own. It would be really great if this bird would settle in this area as not only are they beautiful birds, but he would also help to keep the number of pigeons under control.
For several days after we saw the hawk hunting the pigeons were keeping a very low profile.
Check out the Hawk and Owl Trust web site for more info on British birds of prey.
Although I only had a quick glimpse of the hawk I suspect that it was a female sparrow hawk.
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Sara said,
November 13, 2006 @ 4:53 pm
I saw two birds of prey last week when I was out walking my dog. They were over the local golf course and were hovering on the spot in mid-air and then diving for something on the ground. Amazing that they could keep still in the air - it was a very windy day! I’ve never seen them there before and didn’t know what they were. Thanks for the link to the Hawk and Owl Trust, I’ll take a look!
margaret said,
November 21, 2006 @ 5:54 pm
Hi Sara
I bet the birds you saw were kestrels as they are brilliant at hovering and then swooping down to catch mice, voles and other small mammals.