Garden visiter..

[Jonzjob]

We had one visit the garden this morning in a quite dramatic way. First there was a loud band from the mezanine window, followed by a shower of feathers! It woke us up rather smartly from breakfast. Then just the other side of the swimming pool there she was, complete with a ring neck dove!!!





It was almost the same size as her and she couldn't take off with it untill she had plucked a load of feathers off. I videoed some of it and as soon as I stopped she was up and away with enough grub to keep her happy for today at least.

I do like sparrow hawks. Not too keen on ring neck doves though.

 

[Harbo]

Nice photos - I took this a few years ago - the Collared Dove was still wriggling after 10 mins of being eaten!!
The SH picked out the breast meat first.

We have a pair of them who visit my garden quite often but normally I just see a pile of feathers they've left behind.

Rod

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Beautiful chaps. Although they never land in our garden we get the Red Kites circling over the adjacent field frequently. Those who live anywhere near the Stokenchurch junction (5 from memory) on the M40 will be familiar with the release programme the RSPB did with a population of Red Kites a good 25 years ago. I've watched them grow and spread over the years to the point where they're now frequently spotted over my way which is a good 20 miles from that ground zero. A brilliant example of positive conservation for this quite majestic of birds.

 

[Skeety]

We see them here in Slough\Windsor in quite big numbers at times, amazing to watch them circling and calling then dive in for their meal

Also get Parakeets here too which although they look nice are noisy buggers. I used to fly model helicopters near the original release site and fantastic to see how well they have done

Jon.

 

[porker]

I didn't know until I saw this that what I saw take a pigeon about 6 weeks ago was a sparrow hawk so thanks for that. Great to see (and I'm no fan of pigeons). As Bob says there are now loads of Red Kites around the area (I now live in Bucks but lived in Basingstoke until recently although they hadn't reached quite that far) but I understand they only take carrion. I regularly see groups of 20 or so on my way to work. You can't go through the area without spotting them.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

We see them here in Slough\Windsor in quite big numbers at times, amazing to watch them circling and calling then dive in for their meal

Also get Parakeets here too which although they look nice are noisy buggers. I used to fly model helicopters near the original release site and fantastic to see how well they have done

Jon.

I used to work in Slough for a long time and I recall watching them inexorably spread up the M4 corridor once they strayed further away from the M40. I saw the first ever one somewhere around Maidenhead and then each year you'd spot a few more until about 10 years later they were a regular feature as far up as Windsor. Must be really successful breeders but then I guess they're an apex predator aren't they....as long as farmers aren't blasting them with both barrels pretty much nothing else attacks them (apart from very daring crows that mob them if they fly too close to a nest )

I've seen those parakeets near Kew....couldn't believe my eyes...thought I'd gone through a portal to the Amazon or something??? Are they escapee caged birds then?

 

[Skeety]

Only seen them this far out for the last 4 or 5 years but good to see them gaining traction and breeding successfully

Only an idiot would shoot them as they are protected Anything else on the General Licence can be shot providing all other means have been taken to prevent damage within reason.

From what I was told the Parakeets escaped from the ARC at Heathrow many years ago, they were expected to die during the winter but have become very successful. They are always in the back garden at my other half's parents in Acton, London. Parakeets on the other had are listed as an invasive pest and can be shot as they do a lot of damage to crops.

Jon.

 

[Jacob]

No kites up here. Saw them down south last year (nr Goring) - a whole flock of them wheeling about.
What we have is buzzards. Not many but conspicuous. I first saw them around here in about 1990 for the first time in Derbyshire. Never before. I was really surprised as it was quite unexpected - I though it might be an escape or something, but they have been around ever since

 

[Jonzjob]

We also get red and black kites, the odd hen harrier, buzards and short toed eagles around us. Normally only in the air though.

The hen harriers are quite spectacular with the black wing tips on white wings. About an hour east and we also have wild flamingoes, but that's a different story :mrgreen:

 

[Bigstinka]

Get red kites near cirencester glos quite often.

 

[Jonzjob]

We used to see the odd one when we lived along Butterow , Stroud. Some good pubs in Fairford too. At least there used to be, but bin here for over 10 years now!!

 

[monkeybiter]

We've only had a SparrowHawk once, eating a dove in the back garden, it let me sit on the grass within 5 yards of it to take some piccies.

Nice surprise on Christmas day, ten of us eating Christmas Lunch in the got to watch a ring necked parakeet nibbling on his lunch just the other side of the french doors, quite a treat. He stayed around for a few days but he's moved on now though.

 

[Harbo]

Kites are scavengers so are often poisoned by Gamekeepers. We get a few around here but see Buzzards more often.
There's a pair of Peregrines nesting in the Police Headquarters in Winchester and occasionally see them very high in the sky.
We have some owls nearby - haven't seen them but can hear them at night.

A number of foreign birds are becoming established over here and getting more common. We get white Egrets nearby and Collared Doves (now established) are really "newcomers' from Europe.
In winter we get a pair of tiny Blackcaps which used to be rare but now becoming fairly common.

Rod