On 22/09/2012 10:49, Bob W wrote:
Not all hawks are solitary hunters, as I've just discovered. Yesterday when
I was down by the Cutty Sark I saw an enormous raptor fly over it and land
on a nearby roof. It was smaller than a buzzard and had a distinctive white
marking at the base of the tail, underneath. It was a lot bigger than a
kestrel - there are quite of few of them around here.
Of course, I didn't have a camera with me. I watched it as I approached, but
it flew off before I got a good close look, and I didn't see where it flew
to.
A bit of internet digging, and I think it was a Harris Hawk, which is
apparently the only one known to hunt cooperatively:
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Harris's_Hawk#intro>
and seems to be a popular bird for scaring away the pigeons. I didn't see
any handlers, but it did have a strap on its leg so I guess the handler must
have been around somewhere.
There are quite a few escapees floating around - they are probably
breeding somewhere in the UK by now.
Sparrowhawks will forage as a family when the chicks are flying well
enough to do so. I often see groups of up to six at work in the late
spring/early summer. But the kids mainly let mum do the work.....
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