Poor blackbird, I think

[spandit]

Heard a noise in the garden of a bird tweeting, sounded like it was in distress. Looked out of the window to see what I initially thought was a pigeon, surrounded by a load of feathers. Assuming it had been part mauled by a cat I was just pondering what to do when it moved and I saw it was sitting on top of another bird, a blackbird, I think. On closer look, even though I didn't have my glasses or a camera, sadly, it wasn't a pigeon but some sort of bird of prey. Before I could fetch anything, it flew off, carrying the smaller bird with it.

Nature, red in tooth and claw...

Any idea what the raptor could have been? Didn't look like a kestrel but not really an expert. Certainly wasn't big enough to be one of the local buzzards

 

[spandit]

On looking at picture of various birds of prey, think it probably was a kestrel...

 

[Goatboy]

Couldn't have been a sparrowhawk?

 

[Harvestman]

Sparrowhawk is definitely the most likely. Kestrels usually prey on rodents, although small birds are not impossible.

 

[spandit]

Could have been, it was quite pale, wish I'd got a better look now...

 

[Macaroon]

Sounds like a Sparrowhawk to me, they love mugging songbirds in confined spaces: Size fits, too; same size as a pigeon and looks much like a cuckoo.................atb mac

 

[Elen Sentier]

If you thought it was a pigeon it was certainly a sparrowhawk. Hopefully the blackbird went back to to feed the hawk's chicks, it's that time of year . Life lives on life. You must have a really good, balanced wildlife if the hawk (top predator) thinks it's good hunting there

 

[Stringmaker]

We had a grandstand view last week of a sparrowhawk flying round a neighbours bush trying to get the bluetits.

A friend of my wife used the expression "feather grenade" to desribe the moment a sparrowhawk strikes; red in tooth and claw indeed...

 

[ged]

Heard a noise in the garden of a bird tweeting, sounded like it was in distress....

It was probably other birds that were giving alarm calls, a sparrowhawk kill is pretty quick.

 

[spandit]

How exciting... Shame for the blackbird, of course, but we've got a small suburban garden that normally has two dogs trashing it

 

[JohnC]

I was sitting watching our chickens pecking away near the seed holder with a few sparrows around them, then a squark and one of the sparrows was snatched away by a hawk.. Chicken looked very surprised (and possibly thankful)