sureshot 0 Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 But wicth bird of prey is pure white under neath..? thiers a bird of prey over my local park eating pigeons, starlings etc and havent got a clue what it is..lol Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Ditch_Shitter Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Male Hen Harrier could be taken as " White underneath ", mate. As could a Goshawk. Only I really don't see either of those being ones for hanging around public parks knocking off shit. 'Mind you; I never saw a male Hen Harrier as turning up at Portsmouth & Southsea Train Station - till it did! Have ye seen the bird in action? If so, how does it attack? Dive bomb or sweep horizontally ~ more or less, in either case. That'll help narrow it down. Then we can just decide it's a female Sparrow Hawk anyway! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Missie 1 Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Ditch there are a few Hen Harriers around Sussex and Hampshire apparently. I didn't expect to see a Perigrine in my road with its lunch but then found out there is a nesting pair in Chichester Cathedral and was told where I am is no distance for them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Ditch_Shitter Posted February 11, 2008 Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 Missie; The one I saw was a stunning, full adult male. Ye know how gorgeous they are! I don't know where he'd been, as there was nothing south of him of interest. But he was heading north. Strange thing is, he wasn't in any great hurry about it. I know this because, about an hour later, I saw him again, barely two hundred yards away and only a short fifty due north. I can only imagine he'd been up to something when he sort of drifted away from Farlington Marshes and might have checked out the Milton Lake area before maybe drifting down that foreshore area to Eastney. After that, he'd have found things boring as shit for him. So I guess he was kind of wending his way back in a north easterly direction to somewhere more suitable. Thorney Island, perhaps? Even Pagham or beyond? Plenty of suitable habitat to the east. But really f*ck all for a harrier round where he was. Hell of a sighting though, anyway! Peregrines? In my youth they - like sparrowhawks, believe it or not! - were birds of myth and legend. Now? They're both ubiquitous. In fact it's long since become quite the Thing for businesses owning big tower block offices to boast of their resident, breeding pere's. Twentieth floor window ledges becoming the modern cliff faces for these returning birds. Dependent on SS's response then, I figure we have either a spar' or - as ye've figured yeself - quite possibly another urban peregrine I most definately don't see Hen Harriers wiping out pigeons in parks. Do you? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Missie 1 Posted February 11, 2008 Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 The only place i've seen a Hen Harrier is at an RSPB reserve near where I live that my daughter enjoys going too. I don't know an awful lot about birds of prey but I do try and find out what they are when I see them. I agree, nothing much for any bird in Portsmouth, except maybe the pigeons although as you say to the east there is plenty. Witterings seem to be a good spot for them in general. A few years ago Buzzards were a rare sight in these parts but they seem to be two a penny now, I couldn't believe the amount in the west country. My mother and her partner are converting a barn down there in a really rural location and they are all over! Nice to see the Red Kites seem to be growing in numbers down there too. Slightly off the subject but still a wonderful sight, my dad has Kingfishers on his farm, not sure where they nest but he sees them on a fairly regular basis although i've never been that lucky up there. I'm not sure if its still running but there was a web cam at the site that the Chichester Cathedral Perigrines are. I never realised that they would be in such an urban space as that city. Some kind soul at a gamefair once told me that there were Golden Eagles in the Dover area... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sureshot 0 Posted February 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 (edited) Male Hen Harrier could be taken as " White underneath ", mate. As could a Goshawk. Only I really don't see either of those being ones for hanging around public parks knocking off shit. 'Mind you; I never saw a male Hen Harrier as turning up at Portsmouth & Southsea Train Station - till it did! Have ye seen the bird in action? If so, how does it attack? Dive bomb or sweep horizontally ~ more or less, in either case. That'll help narrow it down. Then we can just decide it's a female Sparrow Hawk anyway! hi ditch ive seen it attack twice 1st time i was walking to school last year and there was a group of starlings low on the floor and this bird of prey just swooped down grabbed it and flew of with it in its tallons, then on monday i saw it quite high up circling and going after pigeons and it got something not sure becuase i heard a load of squeling from were it just flew to but its very quick and gaines quite a hight Edited February 11, 2008 by sureshot Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Ditch_Shitter Posted February 11, 2008 Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 Fact that it's circling suggests, to me, a Peregrine. We all know of their world famous 'Stoops', but they're also perfectly capable of sweeping in low too. Sparrow Hawks, on the other hand, almost invariably sweep out of 'no where'. Of course, what makes it tricky from here on in is the fact that, to an untrained eye, both these birds will look pretty much the same. As in, light underneath and dark on top. The shape of the actual wings will now be ye best bet. Basicly, if it demonstrates wings 'like a crow', we have a probable Spar. If the wings are more streamlined and pointy, Pere'. Keep that in mind and ye eyes peeled. See if ye can crack it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sureshot 0 Posted February 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 im gonna spend all my time over thier now looking at the sky instead of kicking a rugby ball or footie ball lmao Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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