Yes, it's actually a goshawkWe have been sent hundreds of pictures of "goshawks" in gardens. These all turn out to be sparrowhawks, which are much more common. However, we were sent a photo of an actual male goshawk in a garden. This was is Wales and the area looked quite wooded so seemed suitable. It made a welcome change to say, "yes it is a goshawk"
Birds and windowsWe received lots of reports of all sorts of birds pecking at their reflections in windows this week. This included two reports from further a field including some sunbirds in the Gambia and what we think is a crested goshawk pecking on a hotel room window in Malaysia.
Where possible we recommend putting up window stickers on the outside of the glass to break up the birds field of view on approach and reduce the number of impacts.
Bird diseaseStill reports of dead finches coming in due Trichomoniasis. We are also getting reports of great tits with avian pox.
Starlings Starlings in roofs is usually a spring thing but we are being asked how best to prevent them roosting. They can legally be blocked out as long as they are not nesting. If the starlings are blocked out then we are suggesting installing a nestbox on the roof to provide them with an alternative site.
Conversely, we are getting lots of requests for the best places to see starling pre-roost displays where they can watch this “allelomimetic” behaviour. Apparently, that's what it's called when they all copy each other's movements. Every day's a school day in Wildlife Enquiries.
Other recent sightings
Woodcock sightings are being made across the country with them showing up in peoples gardens and park land, 72 were seen on Fair Isle yesterday (01/11).
We also took a report of a little egret sighted on the western isle of Benbecula (30/10).
The invasion of Redwing and Fieldfare continues en mass across the UK - report your sightings here.
Hi it`s my first time contacting you,just got back from 3 weeks holiday in strontian on loch Sunart,scotland.We chose it for the wild life etc.OUR Log cabin worked as the perfect hide ,in the evenings and early mornings.5th oct-23rd oct regular sightingsLoch Sunart -Herons,oyster catchers,curlews,Gooseanders,mallards,little grebes,raven ,hooded crows and the usuall blue tits,great tits,cole tits blackbirds,thrushes, robins,dunnocks,wrensandgoldcrest/firecrest sadly I found them on the porch of our cabin,they must have flown into the window of our cabin in the early hours of the morning,found the female first,alive but stunned,she flue away after several minutes rest cupped in my hands,but we found her mate lying with his legs in the air under a garden chair on the porch with a broken neck.7th oct-stonechat-Strontian,12thoct-Golden eagle-Kingairloch,19th-22nd-many redwings arriving,21st oct-Dipper-Strontian,22nd oct-Salen-Icterine Warblers/red necked grebe,back to the cabin otters seen almost daily,near or just behind the post office Strontian(back`s onto the loch)seal`s and porpoise,young Roe deer grazing on the lawn in front of the cabin (early am)and our mistery guest stealing raspberry jam and peanut butter sandwiches did turn out to be a pinemartin ,caught on night vision camcorder along with the next door cabins Dalmasion dog(if you do have a dog please observe the rules of the site keep dogs on leads at all times,as it spoils it for those of us mad enough to sit up at night to watch for wildlife)
Can`t wait to retire