Predatory Birds

[julia-mag]

I know it's natures way with one species living on another, but some sort of hawk is taking so many of the collared doves from our garden, that I wondered if there was a way of deterring him/her , (in other words saying Not in my backyard! ) We caught site of it last week actually sitting in our oak tree plucking the bird and then devouring it, and we have had 3 dead and one injured one left in the garden, I presume it got disturbed. I did not recognise it, all I could see was a beautiful white fluffy underside before it scarpered.

[redman41]

sounds to me like a Buzzard as the Sparrowhawks will tend to go for the smaller birds.

[LoftyLottie]

My neighbours told me I had a buzzard over our house this morning. I wish I had seen it. We have Marsh Harriers, but a buzzard is quite rare for us.

Sparrow Hawks do take collared doves Redman. I have seen them do it on several occasions.

Julia, if you have a predator taking birds from your garden apparently you should welcome it as a sign that you have an abundance of birds. Unfortunately, if you welcome birds into your garden and make it bird friendly the predators will arrive to. I have to admit if I see one see the birdtable I make myself known to it and it flies away, but apart from that I let nature take it's course.

[jomifl]

collared doves are so successful that the world won't miss a few, birds of prey are much more rare especially in the UK.

[julia-mag]

Thank you one and all for your comments, I am now going to surf the web on birds to see if I can actually identify it, the only one anything like it in my bird book is a Goshawk, but never having seen one close-up I can't be sure.

[jomifl]

If it was much bigger than the dove, had barring on the breast, paler underneath the body with light patches on the 'wrists' of its wings and had yellow legs then it was a buzzard.

[boxtops]

LOL Lottie, "I make myself known to it" - I know what you mean but I love the image - here, nice birdie....

[carmalee]

there goes your sense of humour again Boxtops - same as mine, I had an picture of LL approaching bird with 'Morning, I'm LL - allow me to introduce myself.

[woofgang]

no no make yourself known is what policemen do...so bends knees...ello ello ello, whats goin on ere then

[LoftyLottie]

LOL at you lot!! Daft bunch! Daft, but very nice.

Actually, I do have conversations with the birds, quite regularly, some of them are old friends!

We had 9 goldfinches on our bird feeders this morning. The whole goldfinch family came at once. The young ones are in various stages of feather colours!! Adorable little birds.

No predators fortunately!!

[rowanwitch]

If it is returning to the same 'plucking post' it is almost certainly a sparrowhawk,,,but where do you live....if it is rural or has open parkland there is just the chance it could be something rarer but not a goshawk.... might just be a hen harrier in some parts of the country if you are very near open countryside or a really wild park as they also pluck in the same spot not in a town.....in town Sparrowhawk ...

[McMouse]

Got a right old buzzard living next door to me. The only flying she does is off the handle.

[rowanwitch]

http://www.rspb.org.u...didentifier/form.aspx

try the identifier on here

[LoftyLottie]

Buzzards pluck their prey too, but more likely, as rowan says, to be a sparrowhawk if you live in a town. We have marsh harriers around us, but apparently yesterday a buzzard was over the house. I missed him so I couldn't introduce myself. ;o)

[ttfn]

Big Sis has noticed a rise in the deaths of green finches in her garden, these past few weeks. The wee mites are dropping to the ground after a few days of looking decidely unwell. Apparently deaths are resulting from a parasitic disease - trichomonosis. It is a regrettable sight when drawing the curtains in the morning. The birds of prey continue to take the living birds from the various feeding stations around, ignoring the little corpses. Ideally Sis should remove food and water until the finches are no longer dying, but they are just one of many species that abound in the garden.

[carrust]

As rowan says it's more likely to be a female sparrowhawk. We've just had a leaches petrel in our area, not for long though, a sparrowhawk took it:-(

[LoftyLottie]

Difficult isn't it ttfn. I had a few ill greenfinches for the same reason. Apparently you should wash and disinfect all the feeding stations virtually every day to combat this dreadful disease, but it's difficult when you have got lots of feeding stations and a very large garden.

I have never seen as many goldfinches as we have got this year. I keep having to buy great huge bags of niger seed along with all the other sacks of stuff.

[ttfn]

Very difficult Lottie, but everything from holders to bird bath get cleaned every day. It is sad to see the finches just sitting around, looking very fluffed up and almost impervious to danger. I regularly have to make my self known to the feline population -better not go down that route again (it involves loud noises and water cannons)........

[julia-mag]

Thank you Rowanwitch for the link, I used it and as far as possible answered questions, but they were not all applicable, for the bird I saw (through my binoculars) was mid-brown above and from what I could see of the back half of the bird underneath it was a beautiful fluffy pure white, smallish head ,crook beak, and not that much bigger (standing with wings closed ) than a wood pigeon, It hopped further up into tree and was obscured from view when it flew off. RSPB site likened it to a Kestrel, but this certainly didnt have stripes on its underparts. Haven't seen it since,but it will no doubt be back again, it hasn't quite finished off all the collared doves yet!

[ethandron]

it's natures way, and it is generally better to let nature take its course.

[julia-mag]

Forgot to say I live right on the edge of a City, with open land /fields/countryside just one street away.