A quick spot of skywatching over lunch at Rainham produced at least 7 hobbies, the usual peregrines and an adult male marsh harrier through to the north, exceptionally high.
At home, a massive sparrowhawk passed over carrying lunch with it. Obvious ID or not, I'm almost tempted start yet another "goshawk-vs-sparrowhawk" thread on BirdForum just to see how many replies I can get... but I'm not that childish. Not all the time, anyway.
There has been some interesting bloggy discussion of late on the whole sparrowhawk/sparrow population thing, all of it by persons more informed and intelligent than I. While most it went right over my head it was still worth a read/watch. Personally, and I expect like most birders, I'm perfectly happy to see these things over my garden, whether or not one of them just took one of Doris's delightful titmice from her feeder and causing her to wee herself a little in surprise and spit her false teeth out into her gin in a fit of righteous indignation. Watching a sparrowhawk - or any other raptor - make a kill is always one of the most exciting things you can see while birding. From my entirely un-backed-up layman's viewpoint I don't think there are too many of them, but whatever the true facts are I agree with the point made that it should be up for discussion; the apparent state at the moment of outright refusal to even discuss it can only be harmful in the long run.
Songbird Survival, on the other hand, can fuck right off regardless. A more obvious front for hunting nutjobs and gun lobbyists I could not even conceive of.
Might head back down to Rainham later in the evening for the ring ouzel. Might not. Right now though, I'm off outside for some more hopeful raptor watching.
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Songbird Survival, on the other hand, can fuck right off regardless. A more obvious front for hunting nutjobs and gun lobbyists I could not even conceive of.
Might head back down to Rainham later in the evening for the ring ouzel. Might not. Right now though, I'm off outside for some more hopeful raptor watching.
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Edit: Garden raptor skywatch paid off in the form of a single buzzard and a flyover goldfinch. Result!
No, seriously, result. For this garden, both species are pretty mega. Buzzard went over about two minutes after I started watching, amazingly high and amazingly fast, headed directly west into London and then who knows where.
No, seriously, result. For this garden, both species are pretty mega. Buzzard went over about two minutes after I started watching, amazingly high and amazingly fast, headed directly west into London and then who knows where.
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