I know your gonna say sparrowhawk but...

[~T~]

For the third time now while waiting for the bus in the morning I've spotted a small bird of prey (at least I think it is a raptor) flying over the same area. The area is directly across from the bus stop heading down a long garden which slopes downhill (it flies parallel to the road). It looks to have maybe come out of the wooded area at the top of the garden and flies very fast and high quickly swooping down holding its wings in close then gaining some hight before repeating the same thing again finally vaishing between the houses. It looks to be about the size of a pigeon. It probably is a sparrowhawk but it seems a bit small and I've never seen a sparr or kestrel fly like this. What do you guys think? Sound like a sparr flying yeh?

[Ukwildlifeo]

Could be a male sparrowhawk. They are surprisingly small

[faz]

flight description sounds like sparrowhawk to me ~T~ they are a woodland bird and often fold wings in to go through narrow gaps in the wood to surprise prey or even chase them finches ,sparrows will go through the smallest gaps to aviod the spar but spars are relentless in catching there quarry and will follow them folding wings in

[Rye]

Like as been said above, male sparrowhawk's are actually quite small. I have been within 15ft of a wild one beforehand when I was out hunting with my air rifle. The bird dropped from a tree right next to me, I assume it did not know that I was there. The sparrowhawk was a male and very small indeed, he still looked like a proper weapon though!

[triops]

With that sort of flight, possibly a Jay? Or even Green Woodpecker?

[Tringa]

You said

you think it is a raptor,
it is about the size of a pigeon,
it flies very fast,
it may have come out of woodland.

From the size, kestrel or sparrowhawk seem possible, but I have rarely seen kestrel fly, what I would call, very fast. The few times I have seen a sparrowhawk going through our garden, they are often so fast that they are gone almost before you realise, and they are generally close to woodland, but ........

...... then so are pigeons.

Dave

[davecatt]

Typical Sparrow hawk flight, we call it hedge hopping round here. They swoop low only climbing enough to clear obstacles such as house or hedges in order not to scare off the potential prey.
Dave

[~T~]

Yup im happy to accept it's a male sparr. I've had them visit my garden so I know they are in the area. I've never seen a jay or woodpecker of any sort ever nevermind around here.