birds of prey in your garden.

[actionfinch]

My mum phoned us up the other day stating she had seen a bird on her back fence larger than a wood pigeon, brown in color, a short tail not like anything she had seen before. she lives on the edge of an urban area , i would say about 10 mins from the local farms and fields. her eyesight is not that great and by the time she got her glasses the bird flew off.
Showing her pictures ( from a guide book) last night she said it was brown like a buzzard and also the tail looked the right size..shortish
I have seen a red kite in the area once before but she said the tail looked completely different..
Is it not uncommon for say buzzards/ kestrals/sparrowhawks to visit gardens?
any help would be great.

[slimrbp]

When we lived in Penge (South East London) a Sparrowhawk took a Starling from the garden.
Kestrels were nesting in the church opposite us and they would perch in the trees around the garden.
In our new house we have had a fleeting glimpse of a sparrowhawk going after a Collarred Dove.

[Acipiter]

Its quite likely it was a buzzard, if you mum has a large garden, I had one last year in mine, it was eating earth worms from my lawn. they can pay a visit from time to time.

[faz]

Originally Posted by Acipiter

Its quite likely it was a buzzard, if you mum has a large garden, I had one last year in mine, it was eating earth worms from my lawn. they can pay a visit from time to time.

very unlikley to be a buzzard more like a spar

[Acipiter]

Must have been a large s/hawk then, she did say larger then a wood pigeon.

[faz]

ok big spar could be a buzzard but dont think so seen them sitting on fences in the country fields and taking worms which arer a staple part of there diet as well as inverts small mammels etc

[Acipiter]

It depends if her garden backs on to fields, or not as well Faz. As mine does.

[faz]

true with high hills /moutains so they can sore as buzzards do on the updraft
buzzards are our vultures clean up the dead wide open spaces herts is not that rural ? unless u tell me different

[Acipiter]

It does have some quite nice hills in places, as well as lots of open fields and woodland. The populations is coming on well too, I have seen as many as 8 together at one time Faz.

[faz]

well perhaps we should agree it could be a buzzard or not we wont know with out a proper description or photo