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ID MADE EASY!
COURTESY OF THE RSPB
GOSHAWK! The Goshawk is a well-built hawk that is widespread but scarce and elusive bird that is usually found in woodlands. They look like a large Sparrowhawk, but in fact the female Goshawk is about the size of a Buzzard and the male Goshawk is slightly bigger than a female Sparrowhawk. Both sexes have close horizontally barred underparts and a broadly barred grey tail. The broad whitish eyebrows (supercilia) and piercing orange-yellow eyes make the Goshawk evil-looking. The cere (flesh at the base of the bill) is greenish-yellow and the legs are yellow. The male (or tercel) is smaller than the female and has a dark patch behind the eye that makes it appear even more fearsome. The female (or falcon) is browner than the male and is the heaviest bird of the genus Accipiter. Juveniles are paler and browner, with teardrop marks on its underparts and greenish eyes. In flight, the Goshawk has broad, blunt wings and a broad tail. VoiceThe Goshawk's call is a penetrating shriek, "hi-aa". FeedingTheir food is mainly medium-sized birds, such as Wood Pigeons, Pheasants and even Kestrels, mammals, such as rabbits and squirrels, and amphibians and reptiles. The attack is usually similar to that of the Sparrowhawk - waiting in cover to launch a surprise attack involving a fast chase over a short distance - but will also dive like a Peregrine. NestingThe nest is an untidy construction of twigs. Goshawks nest high up in trees MovementsGoshawks are sedentary. With only the youngsters moving away from the parents territory ConservationThe Goshawk is slowly expanding its range, and despite being specially protected it remains one of our most persecuted birds of prey.
SPARROWHAWK!
DescriptionThe Sparrowhawk has pale barred underparts, like the Goshawk, but is less heavily built. The wings are short, broad and blunt and the tail is quite long and has dark barring across it. Their yellow legs are surprisingly spindly. The eye and cere are also both yellow, but they can become orange-yellow or even orange-red in older birds. The hooked bill is grey. The female (or falcon) has grey-brown upper parts and is much bigger than the male (or tercel), which is a little bigger than a Mistle Thrush but smaller than a Kestrel. The barring on the whitish underparts is brown. The male has grey-blue upper parts and the barring on the whitish underparts is orange-brown. The cheeks are orange-brown too. Juveniles have dark brown upper parts and coarsely barred below. In flight, they tend to soar between powerful bursts of several wing beats: flap-flap-glide. They never hover and are remarkably agile even at speed. Voice The Sparrowhawk makes a shrieking "ke-ke-ke-ke" call. FeedingTheir diet is predominantly small birds; the size difference between sexes means that the female often preys on larger birds, like thrushes and starlings and occasionally pigeons, while the male preys on smaller birds like tits, finches and sparrows. Small mammals, nestlings and carrion are also taken. The Sparrowhawk's hunting technique relies on stealth; it usually watches from a perch among cover for prey, then flies fast and low, again using any available cover, so that it can then seize its intended prey with complete surprise, but if it misses, lengthy chases can ensue even among trees and undergrowth. I have watched Sparrowhawks hunting in my garden and its pièce-de-résistance is to chase prey through the holly bush without so much as ruffling a feather - I cannot place my arm in the bush without being scratched or prickled! NestingThe Sparrowhawk builds its nest in a tree. The nest is a quite flat platform made from twigs. The eggs are about 40 mm by 32 mm, smooth and non-glossy, bluish-white with dark brown markings. Incubation is by the female only. Both adults feed the young birds, though the newly-hatched are usually fed by the female with the male hunting and bringing the food to the nest. MovementsApart from juveniles dispersing short distances from their natal grounds, Sparrowhawks are generally sedentary. ConservationThe Sparrowhawk population crashed because of the use of organochlorine pesticides, such as DDT, in the 1950s and 1960s, which causes a thinning of the egg shell that cannot then take the weight of the incubating female. The use of these chemicals was banned and Sparrowhawk population has now more or less recovered.
Yellow Wagtail ID made easy (courtesy BWP )
sightings@burbagebirders.co.uk mailto:kenreeves@hotmail.co.uk If there is a problem with any of the above links. Copy and paste the Address into your E-Mail provider. Mobile No 07900334371
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