Pigeon-sized bird of prey in garden

[Lairyfairy]

Hi everyone, I'm new on here and look forward to surfing the site.

I need some help identifying a bird that I saw in my garden a couple of days ago. I live in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.

It was on the ground underneath my bird table and was a very dark grey in colour with no particular other markings. At first I thought it was a large pigeon as its tail was also pigeon-like and fanned out. It seemed to be covering something and it didn't frighten away when it saw me. When I opened the back door, I heard a great deal of commotion from other birds; there were a lot of pigeons, magpies and blackbirds flying about as well as my usual sparrows that were hiding in the hawthorn bush at the bottom of the garden. The bird on the ground had twisted its head towards me and was just looking at me. I started to walk towards it and it flew very low just to the bottom of the garden and it was carrying what looked like a blackbird in its claws. After a while I took a walk to the bottom of the garden to see if I could see what it was and it flew steadily over the fence and into the next garden out of sight still carrying the blackbird.

Does anyone have any idea what it could have been? I didn't think it was a hawk because the head also looked pigeon=like but I didn't think they caught other birds.

Thanks

[htcdude]

Sounds like you may have had a Sparrowhawk in the garden. The image below shows how the cover their prey once caught, to protect it from others:

Google Image Result for http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Sparrowhawk-Male.JPG

Hope this helps!

Nige

[Lairyfairy]

Thank you Nige. I think that might have been it. It had its back towards me and its head was looking at me over its shoulder so it seemed sort of hunched up (I guess the wings were covering and the tail was fanned out). It looked totally dark grey.

I've been looking at photos on this website whilst waiting for replies, and came to the same conclusion. Someone took some photos of a sparrowhawk in their garden that had caught a pigeon and I could see that it was roughly the same size! Also, a few weeks ago, I saw a 'ring' of feathers in my front garden and assumed that it was a fox or something, but looking at the photos from the other poster, I reckon it was a sparrowhawk's doing.

I love birds, and I can't think how I didn't realise that it wasnt a pigeon (dohhhh!) I suppose I was just surprised that it was so close to my house.

L

[htcdude]

Yeah males are smaller than the females, which would probably appear slightly bigger than a Pigeon.

Anyway we're always learning about birds and IDying them, there's plenty I still get confused with

And it's great you got one in your garden! You'll have to try and get some photos of it.

Welcome to WAB by the way

[Lairyfairy]

I have my camera at the ready ..........

[rossy]

yes as htcdude has posted , you will have witnessed a sparrowhawk having lunch, welcome to the forum rossy.