I saw a grey coloured bird of prey in my garden this morning when I woke up, with what I assume is pigeon feathers around it. Unfortunately I didn’t take a photo as it flew off before I had the chance. I did manage to get a photo of the feathers though. Hopefully I can find out what it is.
The most likely candidate will be Sparrowhawk
Cin J
I agree with Germain, and would suggest this will become more and more common in future years. Collared dove numbers have dropped a lot in this area, and many other prey species like starling likewise. Sparrowhawks are more than capable of catching most bird species incl swifts and house martins, waders like snipe and phalaropes, etc etc. With so many pigeons around, esp in urban and suburban areas, partly due to people feeding them, and other people not shooting them anymore, piles of pigeon feathers will become commonplace. Pretty much already have here, and I've seen a male take one twice its size.
Having watched sand martins mob a pair of spars in the open (over a lake, where the spars were relocating themselves to one wooded area to another), I'd say that the hirundines have the ability to out-fly spars in their airspace.
It's when they set up ambush behaviour and take the Swallow/Martin when they are approaching or leaving the nest
Yes, as per Germain. They also take young that like to linger around the nest area, perching on the roof or just generally slowly exploring around the buildings. They take bats too.
I have the Merlin app and have recorded a peregrine falcon. There were some chicks that fledged about a couple of miles from me a few days before this kill happened. Is there a chance that a falcon could have been responsible for this pigeon kill?
Peregrine catch birds in the air and tend to carry them off. Sparrowhawks catch birds at ground level as well as in the air and pluck on the ground where they often end up.