visitor to my garden for lunch!

[greg.g]

Sorry about the quality of these photos. They were taken through my patio window yesterday into a shady area by the fence.
The visitor was a female sparrowhawk and the unlucky lunch was a homing pigeon from a couple of roads away. She was munching away for about 45 minutes. Quite a meal for her. I did not want to open the door into the garden for fear of spooking her.
I am used to having the regular selection of garden birds here in Birmingham but do not get to see the sparrowhawk all that often.

Greg

 

[QDanT]

It's not Pigeons in my garden it's Goldfinches that get snacked :aargh4:
poor photo's through bedroom window

 

[Fraxinus]

Great pics, just love Sparrowhawks.
I got set up to reduce a pigeon population the other week only to have one pitch up and scare them all away. Watched him preening through the gun scope for 15 minutes or so before packing up (I had taken the pellet magazine out before settling in to view him). He has been around pretty much every couple of days but always too far away to get on film. Quite envious of the above pic's

Rob.

 

[greg.g]

I love goldfinches
I must admit that I did not know that sparrowhawk's would take anything as large as a pigeon. I thought that was more the domain of the peregrine.
The above photos were taken yesterday, but she has been back again today to finish the meal off. My garden looks like someone's had a pillow fight in it:yikes:

 

[Toddy]

There's one here that makes a foray into the pigeon numbers every so often….and as you say, leaves the garden looking like there's been a pillow fight You'd never believe so many feathers came from one wee pigeon.
The Sparrowhawks are bold though, they don't seem to budge once they're on the kill. I got photos from less than six feet away of one not long ago.

Reassuring to see that their numbers are rising Shame about the goldfinches though pigeons they're welcome to.

M

 

[Tony]

Must have seen 30 buzzards on Sat between here and my mates about 10 miles away, all sitting watching for something to scoff...