The durable pigeon!

[Oy]

Yesterday lunchtime I was driving along when I spotted a bird-like shape in a field - about 50m from the road. Initially I though it was probably a female pheasant - but on glancing sideways as I passd I saw that familiar raptor shape!

I managed to turn around about 500m down the road and drove past the other way. Yes - looks like a sparrowhawk tucking into something. But nowhere to pull over! Another 500m and I turned around in a farm entrance and drove back. A quick bump onto the kerb and I'm stopped in the right place.

It took me a while to drag my camera bag over the back seat, get the D200 out and swap to the 50-500mm Bigma. All the time Mrs Sparrowhawk looks like she's enjoying her dinner!

I got a shot through the car window but couldn't get a good angle so decided I'd have to risk getting out into traffic and try to get a shot from the back of the car. As I was wearing a bright red jacket I didn't hold up much hope of going unseen!

Out of the car slooooowly - ducking down to avoid popping up over the roof - getting some very strange looks from passing motorists!

I got a few hasty hand held shots at 500mm (wobble wobble) before Mrs Sparrowhawk spotted me - gave me the evil eye - and took off at top speed over the fields. About 2 seconds later and there was a flurry of feathers and the prey - a big pigeon - also took off and shot like an arrow in the opposite direction!

The photos are nothing much but I hope the story makes up for it

[Mark43]

Fantastic shots Oy.

I think that Pigeon owes you big time mate.

[cherrybee]

What a timely interruption and the photos are very good despite the circumstances

[nightshade]

Well spotted, lovely pictures,wish I had been there

[scholesy]

Nice photos Oy.

I’ve spent a good while looking at these photos and all I can think of is Goshawk, Goshawk, Goshawk. That was my first impression.

A female sparrowhawk will prey on birds up to the size of a pigeon, but they have brown upperparts and the bird in the photos seems to have very grey upperparts. A male sparrowhawk does have grey uppers, but wouldn’t take anything as large as a pigeon and he also has a reddish, rusty-coloured barring across the chest, which isn’t present in the photos.

A male goshawk, being smaller than the female is of a similar size to a female sparrowhawk and has the grey colouring on the upperparts.

Both species possess the eye stripe and a barred tail, so that makes things a little harder.

I may be off the mark with this one, but I tend to think that bird you managed to photo was a male goshawk. That fierce stare. Oy, maybe you can tell us a bit more about the sizing of the bird.

Any one else got any views on this? Or am I on me own with this one.

[SteveA]

Hi scholesy, agreed about the quality of the photo's - well done Oy, shows why you should always carry a camera (and a long lens ).



I've had a look at these images on the hosting site and enlarged them somewhat.

I don't see any sign of an eye stripe (supercilium) on this bird, just a highlight showing up; the bird looks quite dark-capped in fact.

The prey species is not Woodpigeon, it looks like a Stock Dove (Stock Pigeon) which is distinctly smaller.

On the only photo where the leg (tarsus) is showing reasonably well, it doesn't seem to be thick enough for Goshawk.



Just my 2d worth .

[Alan]

A female Goshawk is the size of a Buzzard. Although the male can be confused with a female Sparrowhawk, the male Goshawk is 25% larger in length and 3 to 4 times as heavy.

So in the picture it's either the largest Pigeon you'll ever see with a Male Goshawk! or a Female Sparrowhawk with a normal size Pigeon. The Hawk also has the typically googly Sparrowhawk eyes, and lacks the fiercer expression of a Goshawk.

I think I'd go for Sparrowhawk.

[nightshade]

I can see what you mean,I compared it with all the images I could find but the eye stripe is not as definite as it should be Sparrow hawk it is!

[Oy]

Yes - I'm sure this is a Sparrowhawk.

The pigeon was a fatty - but not as big as a Wood Pigeon.

Also - I've lived within 4 miles of this even all my 43 years, and have been birding since I was 8. I've yet to see a Goshawk here.

[purds]

I agree with female sparrowhawk, with those bright yellow eyes as opposed to the goshawks orange red eyes.