We get a few buzzards and hawkey/buzzardy/eagley/falcony thingys around here too. It does go deathly silent, birds hiding anywhere that they can fit.
When the buzzardy thingies come around the rooks from the rookery at the back of us gang up on them and drive them off. The seagulls do the same too, and they can't half fly, aerobatics and all!!!!
It's brill watching the buzzards using the thermals , just climbing higher and higher.
Last year Mrs. K heard a bang on the roof, thinking that something had fallen on it she looked out of the bedroom to see a hawky thingy with a starling. It was having its lunch, the hawky thingy, not the starling
Mrs K was quite upset coz the starlings around here are very friendly and don't get spooked when we go into the garden. They just look at us, see no threat and carry on looking for grubs and things.
We are a little mad and talk to them too. They look at us and then carry on feeding. They don't fly off unless we get too close, about three feet away. Which is so cool.
Mrs. K banged on the window to try and save the starling but the hawky thingy just gave her a look of disgust, you know the one, like the one you get when you go into a posh shop and buy something that's not expensive enough.
This bird was about eighteen inches tall, I don't know much about birds (feathered or not) and Mrs K was too busy trying to scare it off (without going outside and eally making it angry!!!!) to take a piccy.
Even with a pic I would be hard pressed to identify it.
Anyone know what it might have been? How big is a sparrow hawk?
Shame really for the starling but that's nature I suppose.
Regards
K