Peregrine Falcon landed on our porch today

Roen

Odd goings on considering that I live in a city and never once saw a bird of prey within 10 miles of here.
It landed on our porch and then flew around the back, where it proceeded to upend the cat's dish and eat the cat food. There have been an awful lot of finches and tits in the front and back garden over the last two months or so. That's what probably attracted it in the first place.

Anyone else ever have such an experience in a city?

Illkillya

I used to live in a house in a quarry near the train station in Cork city, and there was a pair of breeding falcons who lived in the cliff side for years... I don't live there anymore but wouldn't surprise me if the falcons are still there - sometimes they'd screen so loud it would wake you up.

mr.wiggle

Hi, last summer I had loads of finches , sparrows and tits around my back garden as i was feeding them regularly. One morning as i was in the kitchen i head a loud 'chirp' and looked out. Not a sparrow to be seen as they had all dashed into my hedge. Looking in the window at me while sitting on top of my kids swings was a sparrow hawk. First time i'd seen one in the wild. Very cool bird. He stayed there for a while before flying off.
Later....:)

Roen

Like the old Gary Larson cartoon...Birds of prey know they're cool. Which I can't find anywhere online!

nando

Yes, I have looked after 2 injured perregrine falcons that were brought into veterinary clinics in Dublin. Both had been found in suburban neighbourhoods.

boneless

I have a regular visitor, a female sparrowhawk, who stalks my feeders.

Roen, are you sure it was a peregrine? Could it have been a sparrowhawk? Peregrines don't usually take prey from the ground as far as I know...

I have also nursed a very young male sparrowhawk back to health after he crashed into my bedroom window. I have snaps of him somewhere but can't put my hands on them at present. When they do turn up I'll scan and post them.

Roen

By the size it was it was a Peregrine, by the colour it have been either. That's a good point alright, I hadn't even thought of that. It seemed a little large for a Sparrowhawk though. Either way I'd be happy, I never had such an exotic visitor!!

It was only about six feet away on the porch roof You'd think I'd have a better idea

I've seen plenty of Peregrines in the wild up in the Comeraghs but never one so close up, I suppose that's what may have thrown me.

Roen

Got an ID by one of the bird boffins in work. He seemed to think it was a peregrine by the way it was standing. More upright than a Sparrowhawk if you know what I mean.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Ho Roen,

It is not uncommon to have peregrines in cities, where they use high buildings just as they would cliffs. There have been several breeding in Dublin over the years.

The unusual thing is it being on the ground. These are really large birds and the stance is not that different between a Sparrowhawk and a Peregrine - but the size sure is. I would be inclined to think you had a Hen Sparrowhawk, they are bigger than most people imagine up close, and the behaviour you describ is not untypical of them. Having said that I would not be surprised if it were a Peregrine.

Roen

All the pics I've seen had both the Peregrine and the Sparrowhawk in almost identical stances, my mate could have been wrong. I suppose if you apply Occams razor to this situation you come up with Sparrowhawk as the logical answer.

Cheers all.

boneless

As you said, it was a great experience anyway, no matter what it was!

I'm just back from walking the dogs and we, well I, had a lovely close-up of a kestrel hovering over the canal bank at Davitt Road. I watched it for about five minutes before it flapped off over the roofs.

dbyrne

I got a nice surprise today either a Peregrine Falcon or Sparrow Hawk was sitting on my fence between 2 feeders. Im in castleknock not far from porterstown church and the grounds around it and have 3 feeders in the garden and get alot of birds all year round using them. I watch them regularly and take photos when I get a chance or see something new.
Well at around 3pm today i was looking out the upstairs bedroom window when I saw the bird standing on the fence between the 2 feeders, it was only there for a few seconds and then flew off towards the railway tracks and the canal. From where I was it was standing straight up, was about 1.5 + feet tall and seemed to have a blue/grey tint in its feathers, not brown. As i said it was there only for a few seconds and then flew off. I have been looking on the internet to see if I can see something that would tell me what exactly what it was. Any suggestions?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Definate Sparrowhawk. Even the resting on a fence gives it away. Probably a female.

Muineach

I had a strange experience one morning, it all happened too fast to put a name on the bird, I was brushing my teeth one morning when 2 swift's went flying past the window followed by a bird of prey, it managed to cut one of the birds on the back with one claw and then proceeded to capture the second bird in the other claw. Amazing to see, sorry about the lack of details as you can imagine it was all over in about 1-2 seconds.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Where the heck are you? 2 Swifts in February! Please let me know what part of the world you're in, as if it's Ireland you should let Birdwatch Ireland know about such early arrivals.

Flukey

I was in New York State last September. Where I was staying had a long balcony for the front door of all of the rooms. I was talking to someone when suddenly we heard something. It was all very quick, but some sort of bird of prey had pounced on a smaller bird on the balcony, just feet away from us. The smaller bird managed to get away as we watched, flying off down a nearby stairway. It was amazing to see it up so close.