Sparrowhawk & Friends ? in Flight

A Female Sparrowhawk rises on the gentle updraughts along the cliffs of the south Cornish coast

As it circles upwards it is on the lookout for likely prey but as is usually the case all of its 'friends ' will do all that they can to see it off which is one of the down sides of being a  ' Bird of Prey '

The first to confront the Sparrowhawk is a local Raven but the lighter and more agile Sparrowhawk very quickly turns the hunter into the hunted and almost treats the encounter as sport

Next up is a very vocal Magpie which quickly changes its mind when the sparrowhawk beak and talons are turned in its direction.

Jackdaw and crows also try their luck at driving off the Sparrowhawk but it is not until the local male peregrine ( A  very professional ' Bird of Prey ' )  arrives to see what all the shouting is about that the Sparrowhawk gives way to a single Peregrine swoop and moves on to pastures new.

Botallack Birds

Posted here are a few of today's bird portraits taken around Botallack

Male Stonechat

Female Heron Gull and chicks

Great Tit predating on Caterpillar

Black back Gull with chicks

Raven with chicks

Female Peregrine

Pair of Cornish Chough

Other North Coast sightings today

While waiting for prey hand-over and mating activities from the local Kestrel up on the north coast this morning  I spent my in-between time recording other passing local bird life.

These included pairs of White throats and Wren, several early morning Curlew,  A female Peregrine and a Buzzard that both passed by several times and four Cornish Chough two of which landed quite close.

With the above subjects and both mating and prey exchange shots of the local Kestrel in the can !       I finally dragged myself away from some very pleasant encounters

North Cornish coast today

 I look out for the 'Signs'  of Peregrine along the North Cornish Coast then settle down somewhere well back from their minimum tolerance levels and watch for some interesting behaviour before they finally depart to go hunting again.

 A pair of Gannet were fishing inshore very close to the water line and to finish a cheeky little Meadow Pipit closely displayed its delicate plumage patterns

Peregrine Take-off Montage

The above Peregrine take-off montage was post produced from three of the sequence of images taken this morning and posted below :

I watched this female fly back onto one of her favoured perch points early AM today.  I could see by her extended crop that she had already eaten so she would probably settle down for a while to digest her meal.

I watched her watching me in a very relaxed manner as she is quite used to seeing me around.

It was almost noon before she started to show signs that she was getting restless so I was able to set my focus tracking to the expected line of a forthcoming take-off,

With plenty of pooping and wing stretching it was time for her to fly and she did so along a predictable flight path

So I was now able to expose the sequence of three images that are posted below and then use them in post production to create the flight montage heading this blog

Yesterdays South coast encounters

First up was an early encounter with this fine looking dog fox foraging through coastal rocks along the shoreline,

A male Peregrine devouring a starling while scattering its plucked feathers over the rocks

Having eaten her prey the female peregrine was regurgitating the waste products which always looks like a rather uncomfortable procedure but it is very important for them to remove indigestible matter.

A very familiar sighting of a Little Egret fishing along the marsh margins at Marazion

A  Male Canada goose displaying to its mate

The inevitable scraps between dominant males

A more peaceful shot of a pair of Canada geese relaxing at the margins in the evening sun

And finally a pair of somewhat rarer Gadwall in their winter colours made a trip along warren waters to complete the day

The light at Marazion marsh can be a cracking spot for Photography during sunny afternoons but it does often require some patients while waiting for a show from interesting wildlife subjects and their behaviour.