As I am back to work on Monday and won't have a chance to get out and about, I thought I would share a rare moment with you .... last summer I was washing the dishes when I heard a loud bang and to my surprise a Sparrow Hawk landed on my lawn obviously having crashed into my window. We decided to pop it on the shed roof out of the way of any cats and left it to recover for a few minutes. We were going to phone the Sanctuary in Ulgham but to our relief it flew away after about 10 minutes. It's not every day you get this close to a bird of prey, we were all relieved to see it make a full recovery and have seen it in the estate since, so obviously no long term damage thank goodness.
Hi BaN,
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking me to your blog. I hope you enjoy your birding as much as I do after 30 odd years. It is a constant source of interest with something to look at no matter where you are ( I like to see Grey Wagtails on town centre rooves in winter). Keep watching and reading about birds and you will learn a great deal in no time.
Those ducks at the QEII are domestic / farmyard types obviously from the nearby allotments. They can look very odd and are there to trap the unwary ne birdwatcher!
Can I recommend a couple of great books to help you that will last you ages - The Collins Bird Guide by Mullarney / Svennson etal and one I like even better thanks to the tremendous artworks The Birds of Europe by Lars Jonsson. Google them and you will be able to get new or used ones at a reasonable price on Amazon...
Thanks again, Stewart.
You were lucky with the Sparrowhawk, I remember helping someone get one out of a mist net to be ringed a few years back and ending up peeling its talons out of the back of his hand one by one.
ReplyDeleteThe books Stewart was referring to can be found in Bird North East's Amazon Store just click on the link on our site.