Should I report a sighting of a pair of what I believe to be sparrowhawks currently residing on the side of a high-rise block and if so, to whom?
Hi,
they are probably kestrels or possibly peregrines. They will breed and then move away soon. As far as they are concerned a tower block is a good cliff substitute :)
S
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Hi Conrad and welcome to the forum
Sparrowhawks normally nest in trees but of course anything is possible. I just wonder whether these are peregrine falcons which are increasingly nesting on tall buidings in cities. They simulate cliffs and give them a good view of pigeons one of their favourite prey. Have you checked out their ID from the RSPB site here.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/p/peregrine/index.aspx
Apart from telling us the news , I just wondered why you felt the need to inform anyone. Have you any concerns?
Regards TJ
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Tony
My Flickr Photostream
Thanks for the welcome and the prompt reply. You are, of course correct now I've seen the pictures of the peregrine. I was a bit puzzled as to why a woodland bird may find a tall building attractive.
No concerns about their safety, just wondered if anyone should be aware. I spotted them from my balcony about half a mile away, checked them with my binoculars and wanting a closer look turned my astonomical telescope on them getting a really good close-up. Just wish I had a camera attatchment!
Well that's really good news , Conrad. They are such magnificent birds. I don't know anything about astronomical telescopes but with spotting scopes that birders use you can often get a photo by holding the camera up to the eyepiece of the scope. If you can I'm sure we'd love to see it. Also I wondered if you would mind telling us which city you live in. Chances are local birders will already know about the site.
Worthing, West Sussex.
Sadly my camera isn't suitable for holding to the eye piece of the scope and the telephoto lense doesn't have anything like the magnification of the telescope. Without spending a small fortune on a digi-scope I can't see myself getting a decent picture. If anyone with the correct equipment wants to contact me we could probably arrange a photo-shoot.
We have a sparrowhawks nest in a pine tree at the bottom of a neighbours garden. There are 4 fledglings for the second year. We are concerned that although the trees were in a row are protected they are gradually being cut down because of reported disease. Can this be checked out?
So long as the nest has young in, it would be illegal to cut the tree down. Once the nest is unoccupied/inactive, it is legal.