Mystery BOP at WWT Llanelli??

[NicolaB]

Hi guys, I'm wondering if you can help me this one. We saw this Bird of Prey having a go at the Godwits, and I've got no idea what it is!

It was behaving like a sparrowhawk, but seemed a bit too big? Here are a couple of very bad photos of it that I managed so you can see the size comparison with the unhappy shovellers below!





It's not often I'm stumped...but this one is really bugging me!

Thankyou!!

[captaincarot]

from what i can make out in the pics, it looks like you're probably correct with sparrow hawk.

[wyevilla]

Female sparrowhawk, I think.

[PMG]

Sparrowhawk! Check out the chequered/barred wing pattern, dark cap seperated from the cheek with a bright white eye stripe and pale eye which altho blurred is visable!!!

[captaincarot]

my eyes are burned out from looking through the scope and bins too much today.

[NicolaB]

Thanks guys! I thought sprawk was the most likely suspect..it certainly scared the living daylights out of everything else there!

[turkeyneck]

Hi Nicola, I was there yesterday and the same bird was doing the same thing, causing a right comotion. Later on I moved to a different hide to see (I think was the same bird getting) duffed up by a gang of magpies.
What goes around comes around

[accipter]

Its a female sparrowhawk trying out her luck, I would have loved to have seen it too Alan.