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What a brave little bird!

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  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    there was a bird flying in front of me this morningbetween high hedgerows . Bigger than a kestrel, maybe 24 inches between wing tips. " Fingered " wing tips. 
    Might it have been a Merlin? or what?
    Devon.
  • Would it be a Red Kite @Hostafan1 ? I see them all the time now, amazing come back they've had. When you're standing underneath it it feels like a pterodactyl!  
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    edited May 2022
    Would it be a Red Kite @Hostafan1 ? I see them all the time now, amazing come back they've had. When you're standing underneath it it feels like a pterodactyl!  
    I don't think so. My sister has Kites in Herts, not big enough
    Devon.
  • JellyfireJellyfire Posts: 1,139
    edited May 2022
    Hostafan1 said:
    Would it be a Red Kite @Hostafan1 ? I see them all the time now, amazing come back they've had. When you're standing underneath it it feels like a pterodactyl!  
    I don't think so. My sister has Kites in Herts, not big enough
    Sparrowhawk maybe? They are real acrobats when In flight and usually fly quite low to the ground
  • JellyfireJellyfire Posts: 1,139
    Jellyfire said:
    ..... Always feel a bit sorry for the buzzards who are juts gliding around minding their own business 
    Minding their own business  :D It's 'bird eat bird' out there!  ;)
    Lol, I might be wrong but I don’t think a buzzard would catch a crow, maybe raid the nests though 
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    Jellyfire said:
    Hostafan1 said:
    Would it be a Red Kite @Hostafan1 ? I see them all the time now, amazing come back they've had. When you're standing underneath it it feels like a pterodactyl!  
    I don't think so. My sister has Kites in Herts, not big enough
    Sparrowhawk maybe? They are real acrobats when In flight and usually fly quite low to the ground
    could have been. I see them here, Normally sitting on the railing near the bird feeder.
    Devon.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited May 2022
    I love listening to these 

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02tfhrt/episodes/player

    ... there are loads of them ... Chris Skinner's farm is just a couple of miles from here and it's a wonderful example of how the land can be farmed alongside rather than in competition with wildlife.  He tells how not interfering, and letting Nature do what it does, will establish a balance between prey and predators ... with both thriving. I thought I knew a fair bit about the wildlife of East Anglia, having lived for a huge part of my life on farms and in rural villages, but he's certainly taught me a lot.  

    Did you know that the reason we see so many badger corpses on the side of main roads is because of their addiction to the salt used on the roads in the winter, which collects and crystallises in the gutters at the side of dual carriageways?

    Start at the early ones and work your way through ... it's one of the best things on radio ... and 'the pictures' 'are wonderful   ;)

    https://www.highashfarm.com/

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Jenny_AsterJenny_Aster Posts: 945


    Did you know that the reason we see so many badger corpses on the side of main roads is because of their addiction to the salt used on the roads in the winter, which collects and crystallises in the gutters at the side of dual carriageways?

    Well there's something new to learn everyday. There's a road I travel quite frequently on between Wisbech and Kings Lynn, and we couldn't work out why there were so many badger corpses on such a short journey ... 

    Thank you for the heads up on Chris Skinner's Farm :)
    Trying to be the person my dog thinks I am! 

    Cambridgeshire/Norfolk border.
  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    Sparrowhawks are amazing, we occassionally see them fly through the smallest gaps at great speed following their daily routes. The local area is full of headless pigeons most mornings, so the population must be good.

    The local buzzard population has boomed recently and I've seen 10 circling over at one point which was amazing because no one else ever seems to look up around here. Red kites are still rare but have seen a couple in the last few months but we are plagued over the last few years by crows, magpies and recently jack doors.
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    I wish the birds of prey here would take a fancy for rabbit. 
    Sometimes there can be almost 20 on the grass here.
    Devon.
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