Paging Christofire

Add to the species of birds found in my garden: kestrel[1].

...and scratch one starling...[2]

[1] http://www.brunel.ac.uk/~eesridr/kestrel.jpg
[2] http://www.brunel.ac.uk/~eesridr/starling.jpg

--
Ivan Reid, Electronic & Computer Engineering, ___ CMS Collaboration,
Brunel University. Ivan.Reid@[brunel.ac.uk|cern.ch] Room 40-1-B12, CERN
GSX600F, RG250WD, DT175MX "You Porsche. Me pass!" DoD #484 JKLO# 003, 005
WP7# 3000 LC Unit #2368 (tinlc) UKMC#00009 BOTAFOT#16 UKRMMA#7 (Hon)
KotPT -- "for stupidity above and beyond the call of duty".

 

your patio needs weeding

 

Dr Ivan D. Reid wrote

Jealous I am. Never had a Kestrel, or any other bird of prey, do
anything other than fly straight over around here.

Neat.

 

That's because I have onanistic pigeons -- they spill their seed
on the ground.

--
Ivan Reid, Electronic & Computer Engineering, ___ CMS Collaboration,
Brunel University. Ivan.Reid@[brunel.ac.uk|cern.ch] Room 40-1-B12, CERN
GSX600F, RG250WD, DT175MX "You Porsche. Me pass!" DoD #484 JKLO# 003, 005
WP7# 3000 LC Unit #2368 (tinlc) UKMC#00009 BOTAFOT#16 UKRMMA#7 (Hon)
KotPT -- "for stupidity above and beyond the call of duty".

 

I've actually seen it/one sitting on the fence twice before.

I was drinking my coffee when I wondered, "Why have all the birds
gone quiet?". Looked out at the patio and thought, "Hmm, didn't notice
that pile of feathers before -- must have been a cat in here overnight."
Then I saw the kestrel under the tree ripping into its prey.

--
Ivan Reid, Electronic & Computer Engineering, ___ CMS Collaboration,
Brunel University. Ivan.Reid@[brunel.ac.uk|cern.ch] Room 40-1-B12, CERN
GSX600F, RG250WD, DT175MX "You Porsche. Me pass!" DoD #484 JKLO# 003, 005
WP7# 3000 LC Unit #2368 (tinlc) UKMC#00009 BOTAFOT#16 UKRMMA#7 (Hon)
KotPT -- "for stupidity above and beyond the call of duty".

 

Dr Ivan D. Reid wrote

Dirty lucky Bastard.

Things are still in something of a state of flux round here birdwise.

They have just bulldozed the pub on the corner and with it half a dozen
big old Leylandii that supported quite a population of bird life. The
blackbirds seem to have come out the winners. There must be half a
dozen feed that regularly in my garden now rather than the extremely
territorial female of a pair.

 

Very unusual for a kestrel to take another, largish, bird as prey.
Probably it was already dead/injured.

--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ GSX-R1000K3
`\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2
`\|/`
`

 

goes to check word not known....
ah... err... ok

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Ace

Or the kestrel's not a kestrel...

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Manufacturer of the "Champion-105" range of rearsets
and Ducati Race Engineer.

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha GTS1000

 

Not a brilliant photo, but too small for anything that normally takes
birds on the wing.
--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ GSX-R1000K3
`\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2
`\|/`
`

 

It ain't - it's a Sparrowhawk. Doin' what it does.

J.
<ex-bird-spotter>

 

I will bow to your obviously superior knowledge of British bird-life!
(I should have looked at 20 references instead of just one...)

--
Ivan Reid, Electronic & Computer Engineering, ___ CMS Collaboration,
Brunel University. Ivan.Reid@[brunel.ac.uk|cern.ch] Room 40-1-B12, CERN
GSX600F, RG250WD, DT175MX "You Porsche. Me pass!" DoD #484 JKLO# 003, 005
WP7# 3000 LC Unit #2368 (tinlc) UKMC#00009 BOTAFOT#16 UKRMMA#7 (Hon)
KotPT -- "for stupidity above and beyond the call of duty".

 

It's game, whatever.

 

Sometime around Mon, 22 Aug 2005 16:27:48 +0000, Dr Ivan D. Reid babbled

The Sparrowhawk has evil yellow eyes and will get quite close unlike the
Kestrel, the other giveaway is everything in the sky clears off when they
are around.

 

"It's a Norwegian Blue".

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Wik

<bzzzzzzzzzzt>

306b. You, of all people..... <sob>

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Manufacturer of the "Champion-105" range of rearsets
and Ducati Race Engineer.

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha GTS1000

 

Curses, rumbled.

 

Erm. Someone else has probably already said this......but
Your "Kestrel" isn't a Kestrel. I'm pretty sure its a sparrowhawk (loads
cooler than a kestrel!!)
Kestrels ain't stripy for a start.

Its not that unusual to see them taking starlings/blackbirds/pigeons from
back gardens.

Cheers
Dave.

 

We post under the text to which we're replying here.

 

I thought I had...??
Did I miss something?


Dave