What Did I See

[Moorman 1 1,376]

 

There are a lot more Goshawks around than most people realise. There have been quite a few released over the years and the wild population is at quite a healthy level.

we have lots of peregrines around me but as far as I know I have never seen a goshawk before, funnily when the first pair of peregrines started breeding in the Avon gorge they built an observation point on the opposite side of the gorge for the twitchers, there used to be around 50 or more people up there watching them now you can walk into the middle of Bristol and there are a pair on the old courage,s building on full show everyday of the week, avonmouth docks near me have around five breeding pairs, it's a good era for raptors

 

Its the same here Peregrines nest in virtually every quarry and on a lot of the cliffs on the coast. The thing with the Goshawks is you usually only get a fleeting glimpse. They are very elusive!

[low plains drifter 10,559]

It's good enough to see a spar hurtling over a hedge, but to see a gos well that is one thing I really would love, especially a wild one, I'm off for a day out with a falconer on saturday hope he has a goshawk or two

[muttley94 74]

 

There are a lot more Goshawks around than most people realise. There have been quite a few released over the years and the wild population is at quite a healthy level.

we have lots of peregrines around me but as far as I know I have never seen a goshawk before, funnily when the first pair of peregrines started breeding in the Avon gorge they built an observation point on the opposite side of the gorge for the twitchers, there used to be around 50 or more people up there watching them now you can walk into the middle of Bristol and there are a pair on the old courage,s building on full show everyday of the week, avonmouth docks near me have around five breeding pairs, it's a good era for raptors

 

where abouts is the old courage brewery? I've had a look online but can't seem to find its exact location? my girlfriend lives in bristol so next time im there i will head out and have a look while shes at work

[Greyman 28,453]

 

 

There are a lot more Goshawks around than most people realise. There have been quite a few released over the years and the wild population is at quite a healthy level.

 

we have lots of peregrines around me but as far as I know I have never seen a goshawk before, funnily when the first pair of peregrines started breeding in the Avon gorge they built an observation point on the opposite side of the gorge for the twitchers, there used to be around 50 or more people up there watching them now you can walk into the middle of Bristol and there are a pair on the old courage,s building on full show everyday of the week, avonmouth docks near me have around five breeding pairs, it's a good era for raptors

where abouts is the old courage brewery? I've had a look online but can't seem to find its exact location? my girlfriend lives in bristol so next time im there i will head out and have a look while shes at work

it's on the floating harbour mate, if you get a ferry from temple meads around to the city centre you actually go underneath were they sit and the ferryman will usually point them out or alternatively go on to castle green and just look across, they are usually sat on the snow box,s on top of the down pipes

[muttley94 74]

 

 

 

There are a lot more Goshawks around than most people realise. There have been quite a few released over the years and the wild population is at quite a healthy level.

we have lots of peregrines around me but as far as I know I have never seen a goshawk before, funnily when the first pair of peregrines started breeding in the Avon gorge they built an observation point on the opposite side of the gorge for the twitchers, there used to be around 50 or more people up there watching them now you can walk into the middle of Bristol and there are a pair on the old courage,s building on full show everyday of the week, avonmouth docks near me have around five breeding pairs, it's a good era for raptors

where abouts is the old courage brewery? I've had a look online but can't seem to find its exact location? my girlfriend lives in bristol so next time im there i will head out and have a look while shes at work

it's on the floating harbour mate, if you get a ferry from temple meads around to the city centre you actually go underneath were they sit and the ferryman will usually point them out or alternatively go on to castle green and just look across, they are usually sat on the snow box,s on top of the down pipes

 

Thats awesome cheers Haven't seen one out in the wild for a while so that will be really good to do!

[Greyman 28,453]

 

 

There are a lot more Goshawks around than most people realise. There have been quite a few released over the years and the wild population is at quite a healthy level.

 

we have lots of peregrines around me but as far as I know I have never seen a goshawk before, funnily when the first pair of peregrines started breeding in the Avon gorge they built an observation point on the opposite side of the gorge for the twitchers, there used to be around 50 or more people up there watching them now you can walk into the middle of Bristol and there are a pair on the old courage,s building on full show everyday of the week, avonmouth docks near me have around five breeding pairs, it's a good era for raptors

where abouts is the old courage brewery? I've had a look online but can't seem to find its exact location? my girlfriend lives in bristol so next time im there i will head out and have a look while shes at work

if you get on the ferry from temple meads round to the centre you will go right underneath them, if you don't want to take a ferry ride just go onto castle green and the old courage,s building is on the opposite side of the harbour, it's not very wide at this point and the peregrines will be sat on top of the snow boxes just below the roof line, they are not at all shy and seem to sit there most of the day, due to the light pollution they do a lot of there hunting at night, last year there was a piece on the tv about them and sadly the remains of a few rare visiting birds were found in there nest, which is due to there nocturnal hunting habits, a couple of my mates work in veals, which is a large fishing and shooting store in town and when I pop in there for a coffee and a chat we can watch them from the upstairs window. Sorry double post due to my I pad playing tricks on me Edited March 15, 2016 by Greyman

[Greyman 28,453]

 

 

 

 

There are a lot more Goshawks around than most people realise. There have been quite a few released over the years and the wild population is at quite a healthy level.

 

we have lots of peregrines around me but as far as I know I have never seen a goshawk before, funnily when the first pair of peregrines started breeding in the Avon gorge they built an observation point on the opposite side of the gorge for the twitchers, there used to be around 50 or more people up there watching them now you can walk into the middle of Bristol and there are a pair on the old courage,s building on full show everyday of the week, avonmouth docks near me have around five breeding pairs, it's a good era for raptors

where abouts is the old courage brewery? I've had a look online but can't seem to find its exact location? my girlfriend lives in bristol so next time im there i will head out and have a look while shes at work

it's on the floating harbour mate, if you get a ferry from temple meads around to the city centre you actually go underneath were they sit and the ferryman will usually point them out or alternatively go on to castle green and just look across, they are usually sat on the snow box,s on top of the down pipes

Thats awesome cheers Haven't seen one out in the wild for a while so that will be really good to do!

don't know we're abouts your girlfriend lives but there are also a breeding pair in the Avon gorge, which you can watch from Clifton downs, they even have a telescope there that you put a coin in and can view through it for a while, the pair on the downs have the added bonus of a few nesting Ravens on the same bit of cliff so if the Falcons are out there is something else to look at cheers

[Lutra Lutra 611]

Hello Greyman, Like many of our readers have already stated, it sounds very much like a Gos, especially if you are finding Wood Pigeon kills in the vicinity. Keep a watchful eye as they are very elusive and secretive in their habits? What type of woods are there in your area? Also how large are the woodlands? If you early on a nice sunny morning but also at other times of the day, you may find yourself lucky in seeing a pair of Goshawks displaying above the woodland in question. Goshawks need large tracts of woodland unlike their smaller cousin, the Sparrowhawk.

In areas of nesting you will usually see (Mutes) splashed around on ground vegetation and if you are lucky you may stumble upon a used plucking post. However, sometimes certain pairs are somewhat secretive in their actions and take their kills on the old disused platforms of older nests. Also many females will sit very, very tight when brooding eggs, especially when near to chipping. Many of the lads on here know about the do-gooders and the protectionists, i.e. R.S.P.B. They always try to provide us with the doom and gloom of untrue figures of the true amount of birds that exist in the wild. "What about the birds they don't know about"? As people quite correctly said about Peregrines breeding in almost every quarry. In Derbyshire Peregrines are doing extremely well despite what the R.S.P.B otherwise state. Nowadays everything has had an added boost to their population numbers, due to over protection. Especially Badgers! Ravens are nesting freely in Nottinghamshire woodlands, Peregrines are doing well in many well known cities,Sparrow hawks are breeding in close proximity to humans. The Red Fox has multiplied and breeds in cities,Towns and any council estate. That's the reason their is so much mange in certain areas, would that be due to overcrowding? I think everyone would agree, there is no comparison between a mangey, emaciated corpse of a town or city dwelling fox, compared to a fit healthy specimen of his country cousin. However, They think they have all the answers."What really annoys myself is , that if we located a certain protected species we could be prosecuted for wilful disturbance for watching certain protected species at their nest site. But a large crowd of (Twitchers) can of course do more damage than any of us. Nowadays, if I find anything of great interest, I keep the information close to my chest.

Edited March 18, 2016 by Lutra Lutra

[bell 3,602]

Splendid sentiments Lutra.

[Greyman 28,453]

Hello Greyman, Like many of our readers have already stated, it sounds very much like a Gos, especially if you are finding Wood Pigeon kills in the vicinity. Keep a watchful eye as they are very elusive and secretive in their habits. What type of woods are they in your area? Also how large are the woodlands? If you early on a nice sunny morning but also at other times of the day, you may find yourself lucky in seeing a pair of Goshawks displaying above the woodland in question. Goshawks need large tracts of woodland unlike their smaller cousin, the Sparrowhawk.

In areas of nesting you will usually see (Mutes) splashed around on ground vegetation and if you are lucky you may stumble upon a used plucking post. However, sometimes certain pairs are somewhat secretive in their actions and take their kills on the old disused platforms of older nests. Also many females will sit very, very tight when brooding eggs, especially when near to chipping. Many of the lads on here know about the do-gooders and the protectionists, i.e. R.S.P.B. They always try to provide us with the doom and gloom of untrue figures of the true amount of birds that exist in the wild. "What about the birds they don't know about"? As people quite correctly said about Peregrines breeding in almost every quarry. In Derbyshire Peregrines are doing extremely well despite what the R.S.P.B otherwise state. Nowadays everything has had an added boost to their population numbers, due to over protection. Especially Badgers! Ravens are nesting freely in Nottinghamshire woodlands, Peregrines are doing well in many well known cities,Sparrow hawks are breeding in close proximity to humans. The Red Fox has multiplied and breeds in cities,Towns and any council estate. That's the reason their is so much mange in certain areas, would that be due to overcrowding? I think everyone would agree, there is no comparison between a mangey, emaciated corpse of a town or city dwelling fox, compared to a fit healthy specimen of his country cousin. However, They think they have all the answers."What really annoys myself is , that if we located a certain protected species we could be prosecuted for wilful disturbance for watching certain protected species at their nest site. But a large crowd of (Twitchers) can of course do more damage than any of us. Nowadays, if I find anything of great interest, I keep the information close to my chest.

thanks for that lutra we seem to share very simular views on the people meant to be protecting what we love, I really have know interest in walking up a Tarmac path to watch nature from an appointed spot, the bird I saw is skirting on the edge of a few hundred acres of old English type woodland, dotted with a few acres of conifer, there is also a golf course and many acres of marshland nearby, on the downside there are also two or three small pheasant shoots on the edge of these woods though not directly we're I saw the bird, I will keep you posted if I get any more sightings, I,m on the trail of a family of otters at the moment,but as soon as I have the pictures I,m after will be putting my trail cameras back were I saw the bird, the old guy that lives in the cottage has seen it a few times but not being massively keen on country matters assumed it was a buzzard as there are loads of them in the area, I've seen several pairs in the last few days starting there courting rituals also had a sparrow hawk fly across a busy main road today right in front of my truck not a100yards from the m5, it's brilliant what's living right under our noses, just a shame most folk are to blind to see it as they rush around all day chasing there own arse, thanks again lutra hopefully I will be back with more news before this summer ends

[Lutra Lutra 611]

Splendid sentiments Lutra.

A great many thanks Bell...

[Lutra Lutra 611]

 

Hello Greyman, Like many of our readers have already stated, it sounds very much like a Gos, especially if you are finding Wood Pigeon kills in the vicinity. Keep a watchful eye as they are very elusive and secretive in their habits. What type of woods are they in your area? Also how large are the woodlands? If you early on a nice sunny morning but also at other times of the day, you may find yourself lucky in seeing a pair of Goshawks displaying above the woodland in question. Goshawks need large tracts of woodland unlike their smaller cousin, the Sparrowhawk.

In areas of nesting you will usually see (Mutes) splashed around on ground vegetation and if you are lucky you may stumble upon a used plucking post. However, sometimes certain pairs are somewhat secretive in their actions and take their kills on the old disused platforms of older nests. Also many females will sit very, very tight when brooding eggs, especially when near to chipping. Many of the lads on here know about the do-gooders and the protectionists, i.e. R.S.P.B. They always try to provide us with the doom and gloom of untrue figures of the true amount of birds that exist in the wild. "What about the birds they don't know about"? As people quite correctly said about Peregrines breeding in almost every quarry. In Derbyshire Peregrines are doing extremely well despite what the R.S.P.B otherwise state. Nowadays everything has had an added boost to their population numbers, due to over protection. Especially Badgers! Ravens are nesting freely in Nottinghamshire woodlands, Peregrines are doing well in many well known cities,Sparrow hawks are breeding in close proximity to humans. The Red Fox has multiplied and breeds in cities,Towns and any council estate. That's the reason their is so much mange in certain areas, would that be due to overcrowding? I think everyone would agree, there is no comparison between a mangey, emaciated corpse of a town or city dwelling fox, compared to a fit healthy specimen of his country cousin. However, They think they have all the answers."What really annoys myself is , that if we located a certain protected species we could be prosecuted for wilful disturbance for watching certain protected species at their nest site. But a large crowd of (Twitchers) can of course do more damage than any of us. Nowadays, if I find anything of great interest, I keep the information close to my chest.

thanks for that lutra we seem to share very simular views on the people meant to be protecting what we love, I really have know interest in walking up a Tarmac path to watch nature from an appointed spot, the bird I saw is skirting on the edge of a few hundred acres of old English type woodland, dotted with a few acres of conifer, there is also a golf course and many acres of marshland nearby, on the downside there are also two or three small pheasant shoots on the edge of these woods though not directly we're I saw the bird, I will keep you posted if I get any more sightings, I,m on the trail of a family of otters at the moment,but as soon as I have the pictures I,m after will be putting my trail cameras back were I saw the bird, the old guy that lives in the cottage has seen it a few times but not being massively keen on country matters assumed it was a buzzard as there are loads of them in the area, I've seen several pairs in the last few days starting there courting rituals also had a sparrow hawk fly across a busy main road today right in front of my truck not a100yards from the m5, it's brilliant what's living right under our noses, just a shame most folk are to blind to see it as they rush around all day chasing there own arse, thanks again lutra hopefully I will be back with more news before this summer ends

 

Hello Greyman, please keep myself informed as I'd like to know what type of Raptor it is. The Goshawk is a wonderful bird and over the years I've met quite a few Falconers who kept and flew them at various type quarry. As you will know they take such a varied amount of prey in the wild. Good luck with Otters!

[Greyman 28,453]

 

 

Hello Greyman, Like many of our readers have already stated, it sounds very much like a Gos, especially if you are finding Wood Pigeon kills in the vicinity. Keep a watchful eye as they are very elusive and secretive in their habits. What type of woods are they in your area? Also how large are the woodlands? If you early on a nice sunny morning but also at other times of the day, you may find yourself lucky in seeing a pair of Goshawks displaying above the woodland in question. Goshawks need large tracts of woodland unlike their smaller cousin, the Sparrowhawk.

In areas of nesting you will usually see (Mutes) splashed around on ground vegetation and if you are lucky you may stumble upon a used plucking post. However, sometimes certain pairs are somewhat secretive in their actions and take their kills on the old disused platforms of older nests. Also many females will sit very, very tight when brooding eggs, especially when near to chipping. Many of the lads on here know about the do-gooders and the protectionists, i.e. R.S.P.B. They always try to provide us with the doom and gloom of untrue figures of the true amount of birds that exist in the wild. "What about the birds they don't know about"? As people quite correctly said about Peregrines breeding in almost every quarry. In Derbyshire Peregrines are doing extremely well despite what the R.S.P.B otherwise state. Nowadays everything has had an added boost to their population numbers, due to over protection. Especially Badgers! Ravens are nesting freely in Nottinghamshire woodlands, Peregrines are doing well in many well known cities,Sparrow hawks are breeding in close proximity to humans. The Red Fox has multiplied and breeds in cities,Towns and any council estate. That's the reason their is so much mange in certain areas, would that be due to overcrowding? I think everyone would agree, there is no comparison between a mangey, emaciated corpse of a town or city dwelling fox, compared to a fit healthy specimen of his country cousin. However, They think they have all the answers."What really annoys myself is , that if we located a certain protected species we could be prosecuted for wilful disturbance for watching certain protected species at their nest site. But a large crowd of (Twitchers) can of course do more damage than any of us. Nowadays, if I find anything of great interest, I keep the information close to my chest.

 

thanks for that lutra we seem to share very simular views on the people meant to be protecting what we love, I really have know interest in walking up a Tarmac path to watch nature from an appointed spot, the bird I saw is skirting on the edge of a few hundred acres of old English type woodland, dotted with a few acres of conifer, there is also a golf course and many acres of marshland nearby, on the downside there are also two or three small pheasant shoots on the edge of these woods though not directly we're I saw the bird, I will keep you posted if I get any more sightings, I,m on the trail of a family of otters at the moment,but as soon as I have the pictures I,m after will be putting my trail cameras back were I saw the bird, the old guy that lives in the cottage has seen it a few times but not being massively keen on country matters assumed it was a buzzard as there are loads of them in the area, I've seen several pairs in the last few days starting there courting rituals also had a sparrow hawk fly across a busy main road today right in front of my truck not a100yards from the m5, it's brilliant what's living right under our noses, just a shame most folk are to blind to see it as they rush around all day chasing there own arse, thanks again lutra hopefully I will be back with more news before this summer ends

Hello Greyman, please keep myself informed as I'd like to know what type of Raptor it is. The Goshawk is a wonderful bird and over the years I've met quite a few Falconers who kept and flew them at various type quarry. As you will know they take such a varied amount of prey in the wild. Good luck with Otters!

cheers mate will keep you posted also need to learn how to upload pics thanks again

[Greyman 28,453]

I know it's not about falconry but it's raptor related, firstly since seeing the goshawk there was a news story on our local news a few weeks back, the body of a goshawk was found and after an autopsy it was found to have been shot, I can't confirm if it was the same one but it was witching ten miles of my sighting, really gutting even if it was,nt the same one, but onto a more rare and bizarre story, three nights ago I was sat in my back garden having a smoke and as usual I was watching the sky above, when i spy an absolutely huge bird of prey along way up, it flew for miles without beating its wings once, I was stunned and puzzled again as to what I had just seen, then the next night same thing happens again having a smoke and I see it again huge and covering miles without a wing beat, today the local evening post arrives and on page two sits the beast that I had seen twice, its a bearded vulture and the first seen in England,it's been seen a few times on the Severn estuary near my house and even spotted in someone's garden, it seems to be a wild bird rather than an escapee and has a wingspan of nine feet, I am feeling rather privalidged by this sighting so instead of boring my family and friends to death with it I thought I would share with people that might understand my excitement cheers

[forest of dean redneck 11,608]

Grey man I'm not far from you up the Wye valley.