Unusual sight on commute this morning

gradiric
gradiric Posts: 89
edited March 2009 in Commuting chat
This may appear trivial to you country folk, but for a commuter in the heart of London, it was a bit of a surprise. Cycling up to the entrance of the Mews at Buckingham Palace at about 6.15am this morning I noticed a strange shaped object descending to the ground about 20 metres ahead of me. It landed on the pavement as I passed, and it was then that I realised the 'shape' was a bird of prey with a fat pigeon in its talons....unfortunately I'm not a twitcher, so cannot tell you exactly what it was, but it looked like a falcon - in London - having just killed its dawn breakfast. :shock:
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Comments

  • roger_merriman
    roger_merriman Posts: 6,165
    sparrow hawk would be a good guess, though get a few rarer ones such as peregrine (though thats fairly largish bird, at least the hen is larger.
  • snakehips
    snakehips Posts: 2,272
    Didn't we have Peregrines breeding near the centre of London a few years ago ?
    Sparrowhawk activity seems to be increasing. Mrs Snake saw one take a Wood Pigeon in our back garden a few months ago.

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  • roger_merriman
    roger_merriman Posts: 6,165
    snakehips wrote:
    Didn't we have Peregrines breeding near the centre of London a few years ago ?
    Sparrowhawk activity seems to be increasing. Mrs Snake saw one take a Wood Pigeon in our back garden a few months ago.

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    Yup city of London, make a right mess too there are some be my folks place find pidgeon bits...
  • Dudu
    Dudu Posts: 4,637
    gradiric wrote:
    it looked like a falcon - in London - having just killed its dawn breakfast. :shock:

    Lots of kestrels in london - One once crashed onto my balcony when I lived in a tower block in Brixton. I kept it indoors, took it to the vet (who said it was run down), gave it fresh food and antibiotics and eventually it flew away.

    There are also peregrines on Tate Modern and on the building where i work in Sutton, Surrey. Lots of bits of pigeon on the roof, the maintenance chaps say.
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  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,072
    Dudu wrote:
    gradiric wrote:
    it looked like a falcon - in London - having just killed its dawn breakfast. :shock:

    Lots of kestrels in london - One once crashed onto my balcony when I lived in a tower block in Brixton. I kept it indoors, took it to the vet (who said it was run down), gave it fresh food and antibiotics and eventually it flew away.

    There are also peregrines on Tate Modern and on the building where i work in Sutton, Surrey. Lots of bits of pigeon on the roof, the maintenance chaps say.

    Admit it you ate it didn't you :lol:
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  • alien
    alien Posts: 54
    the one near Buckingham Palace may well have been
    http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23562390-details/Breeding+pair+of+peregrine+falcons+make+House+a+home/article.do

    btw: They're schedule 1 protected birds and their breeding locations aren't talked about at this time of year but with 13 pairs 'around London' you will see more :)

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