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Common wood pigeons and jackdaws perched on powerlines; it's a bit hard to see, but I'm pretty sure there was a 4th jackdaw behind the one on the lower line.

"Fly on, sparrowhawk: past the goshawk's grasp, to the sky's embrace."

~Apologus de Accipiter

17-Feb-2020 08:30:14

A herring gull brooding the eggs in his/her nest; this location doesn't have that many gulls in it, so it felt a bit weird to see a pair of them build their nest atop this particular rock, which is right next to a pier that's in somewhat regular use. You could literally jump from the pier on top of that rock, but the close proximity didn't seem to bother the gull.

"Fly on, sparrowhawk: past the goshawk's grasp, to the sky's embrace."

~Apologus de Accipiter

19-Feb-2020 09:50:44

Common wood pigeon nest; I don't know why, but these guys always build their nests to locations that are easy to spot, especially when they keep making noises that draw attention. Magpies love to raid their nests for eggs, yet they insist on nesting at those locations.

"Volat Accipiter libera est; venandi sua natura est."

~Accipiter striatus

28-Feb-2020 23:36:42

A common wood pigeon, who seems to be rather fond of this particular street lamp, because it's frequently chilling there. It's a rather short street lamp, so a tall enough person could reach for the top, but pigeons seem to be pretty tame in general, and this one is no exception.

"Volat Accipiter libera est; venandi sua natura est."

~Accipiter striatus

06-Mar-2020 21:58:27

Dead robin, it flew into the window and died from the impact.

"Volat Accipiter libera est; venandi sua natura est."

~Accipiter striatus

12-Mar-2020 14:13:15

12-Mar-2020 18:49:43 - Last edited on 08-Jul-2023 14:53:59 by 4A6F6B6B75

4A6F6B6B75 said :
How sad!
I have photos of a few other similar cases, but barring the female sparrowhawk, this one is probably the saddest because the robin is the gardener's friend.

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You know it's spring time when you suddenly start to hear constant coo-COOing, and you look up and see that common wood pigeons once again populate the street lamps everywhere.

"Volat Accipiter libera est; venandi sua natura est."

~Accipiter striatus

16-Mar-2020 16:15:02

16-Mar-2020 18:18:43 - Last edited on 08-Jul-2023 14:54:01 by 4A6F6B6B75

4A6F6B6B75 said :
Is the male sparrowhawk still around btw? Did he move to the south or stay at home in Winter, and if he moved, are you expecting him to come back soon? Would be cool if he moved to the south and still came back to your garden every year!
Yep, he stays year-round here, last saw him a couple of days ago. Nowadays he mainly visits during the late afternoon whereas he used to visit earlier than that before. I have a theory that it's because of the significant growth in the amount of corvids (especially magpies) around here the past couple of years, because they don't like sparrowhawks and may attempt to harass them in numbers. Corvids usually quiet down by the time he comes.

The growth of corvids, in turn, might be at least partially due to the female sparrowhawk having died; females tend to catch bigger prey like magpies, while males usually stick to sparrows or other birds of a similar size. The growth began to occur after she died, and I don't know any other predators who would hunt corvids here, so it'll probably keep going until they can't find enough food for everyone. Unless, of course, another female sparrowhawk shows up here. > )

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This was taken last summer, there's a male pheasant who's urban enough to visit everyone's yards around here every once in a while (especially during winter), and who makes his presence known loudly. For some reason though, I only ever come across male pheasants, I wonder if the females are too shy to show up, or if it's just a coincidence.

"Volat Accipiter libera est; venandi sua natura est."

~Accipiter striatus

18-Mar-2020 13:58:29 - Last edited on 18-Mar-2020 14:03:41 by Sharp-shin

21-Mar-2020 17:19:24 - Last edited on 08-Jul-2023 14:54:03 by 4A6F6B6B75