Bird of prey in Burgess Park

[rendelharris]

For those interested, there's a raptor of some description in BP at the moment, we saw it cycling through there this morning (we were cycling, not it) about 8AM. We didn't have binoculars so can't be positive but fairly sure it's an adult kestrel. No idea if it was just passing through or a resident, but worth looking out for, for those who like that sort of thing (as we do!).

Cheers,

R

[BrandNewGuy]

Unusual that you saw it cycling ;-) It was probably a kestrel ? they're sometimes seen over Peckham Rye Common and Green Dale too ? but it could be a young peregrine. I've recently seen a pair of youngsters flying around the Salvation Army College tower at Denmark Hill. At this time of year, their parents are kicking them out of the family home, so to speak, so young peregrines can be seen around and about, looking for new territory. Greater London now has about 40 breeding pairs, so space is getting limited. B*oody housing crisis! :-)

[rendelharris]

BrandNewGuy Wrote:

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> Unusual that you saw it cycling ;-) It was

> probably a kestrel ? they're sometimes seen over

> Peckham Rye Common and Green Dale too ? but it

> could be a young peregrine. I've recently seen a

> pair of youngsters flying around the Salvation

> Army College tower at Denmark Hill. At this time

> of year, their parents are kicking them out of the

> family home, so to speak, so young peregrines can

> be seen around and about, looking for new

> territory. Greater London now has about 40

> breeding pairs, so space is getting limited.

> B*oody housing crisis! :-)

Think it was a kestrel - could have been a peregrine though...I used to live near the summit of Denmark Hill and used to see the falcons that temporarily roosted atop King's trying to hit pigeons, an amazing sight.

Yeah, nearly everything I see is out cycling, I do cover rather a lot of ground...

[Sally Eva]

I want to see a red kite in London, competing with the foxes for roadkill and takeaways

[rendelharris]

Sally Eva Wrote:

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> I want to see a red kite in London, competing with

> the foxes for roadkill and takeaways

That would be superb - you don't have to drive far north of London to see them in great proliferation over Oxfordshire, maybe they'll move south soon...

[rendelharris]

For no reason except bird lovers might like it...earlier this year got to handle one bald eagle and it was one of the loveliest things I've ever been privileged to enjoy, this makes me want to get a ticket to Alaska right now...

[BrandNewGuy]

rendelharris Wrote:

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> Sally Eva Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > I want to see a red kite in London, competing

> with

> > the foxes for roadkill and takeaways

>

> That would be superb - you don't have to drive far

> north of London to see them in great proliferation

> over Oxfordshire, maybe they'll move south soon...

Yeah, I suspect they'll move in further along the M4 and M40 corridors. Much further in than that and they'll have problems finding nesting sites. Hundreds of years ago they were all over the city as scavengers and were known as sh*tehawks :-)

[rendelharris]

Reckon there's plenty of shitehawks and scavengers still left in the city....you're right, nesting sites would be a problem for the larger raptors but wouldn't it be great to see them...

[Sue]

BrandNewGuy Wrote:

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> Unusual that you saw it cycling ;-)

Must have been a very small cycle :))

[BrandNewGuy]

I walked through Burgess Park this morning and a kestrel flew right over my head, so I suspect this was the chap. A male with lovely chestenut brown wings and back. The local crows didn't seem too upset by his presence.

[rendelharris]

That sounds the same feller, I must try and get a picture of him. I too noticed a surprising lack of perturbation even amongst the pigeon population.

[Jeremy]

BrandNewGuy Wrote:

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> The local crows didn't seem too upset by his presence.

Far from being intimidated, haven't crows been known to "gang up" on larger birds? Seem to remember it happened at a bird show in Dulwich Park a couple of years back.

[rendelharris]

Jeremy Wrote:

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> BrandNewGuy Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > The local crows didn't seem too upset by his

> presence.

>

> Far from being intimidated, haven't crows been

> known to "gang up" on larger birds? Seem to

> remember it happened at a bird show in Dulwich

> Park a couple of years back.

Yep, "mobbing" it's called and they will do it to kestrels, most especially if they have young, but as a general rule they steer clear of kestrels as they're way faster and better armed. When it comes to a heron with a fish that's a very different matter!

[BrandNewGuy]

The mobbing can happen to any bird of prey. I've seen a gang of crows mobbing a merlin, which is better armed but about half a crow's size ? and would never predate a crow. And I've seen blackbirds mobbing a buzzard, which is considerably bigger. It's those hooked beaks they don't like :-)

[titch juicy]

BrandNewGuy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> rendelharris Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Sally Eva Wrote:

> >

> --------------------------------------------------

>

> > -----

> > > I want to see a red kite in London, competing

> > with

> > > the foxes for roadkill and takeaways

> >

> > That would be superb - you don't have to drive

> far

> > north of London to see them in great

> proliferation

> > over Oxfordshire, maybe they'll move south

> soon...

>

> Yeah, I suspect they'll move in further along the

> M4 and M40 corridors. Much further in than that

> and they'll have problems finding nesting sites.

> Hundreds of years ago they were all over the city

> as scavengers and were known as sh*tehawks :-)

Quite common sightings in Windsor Great Park.

[????]

I used to live in council tower block in Camberwell back in the 80s and there were pairs of them around then so probably their great-great-great-etc Grandkestrels!

[Seabag]

I was on Todacco Dock this year, and saw a sparrow hawk catch a bird, probably about 20 ft away. He then sat in a tree close by to eat it.

Only saw that on TV before