Goshawks devour Kestrels (1 Viewer)

Hi Spra,

Maybe the Buzzard / Gos problem is more complex - what he told me is that when Buzzards move into a new area they'd been absent from, if there's Goshawks there, they eventually get pushed out of the best Buzzard habitat, ending up confined to unbroken forest.

So it could be that Buzzards have the advantage in the open (like the Gyr/Gos battle), and/or perhaps that Buzzards are more likely to cooperate - I'm sure two Buzzards could see off one Gos - whereas I can't see the highly individualistic Gos taking part in cooperative action (like the way the female barely trusts the male near the nest, "gimme that food and then GET OUT OF HERE!").

Michael

I think there's only one way of getting this Gyr/Gos thing sorted out. I can get hold of a Gyr if you provide the Gos. Let's say the wasteground at the back of the Nag's Head 3 o'clock Saturday afternoon. I'll put a monkey on my bird doing yours.

(Right I'm leaving the office now, It's been a long day...)

E

I'll put a monkey on my bird doing yours.

Click to expand...

Two against one would be unfair.

Birds doing monkeys...please there may be children around :O (shocked face)

Re: Gos v Buzzard!

Having been footed by both I have no doubt who is the strongest! Hold a gos in 'yarak' on your fist and you can feel the immense power they have in their feet - a buzzard just cannot compete. However, perhaps buzzards are more aggresive when initially claiming a territory - though I would think any gos would give a buzzard short shrift if it entered it's nesting territory once established - I believe they have been recorded attacking humans in the US and northern Europe. Spar is quite right about the origins of the Goshawk - some Finnish females are huge - as some German males are diminutive. One of my relatives brought a large number of gosses back from Scandanavia in the late '60's, selling some to falconers to cover his costs, releasing the rest in northern England and north west Scotland. However, I would think that, from escapees and naturally occuring vagrants, the population would have levelled out by now.

Re: Gyr v Gos! - this is getting silly

Another relative of mine had a small male gos killed by a huge Saker x Gyr last year - if that means anything!

Anone seen the white race of the Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis albidus)? Quite spectacular - there's some pictures here:

http://www.geocities.com/rducoing/Hawks.html
http://www.falconeria.org/foto/astoribianchigiap.html

To take the conversation away from the somewhat innane subject of which hawk is the hardest - anyone ever see the really pale-phase common buzzards that sit on telegraph poles pretending to be white gyrs? I've only been really fooled once - the slamming-of-brakes-type-fooled - by a buzzard on the west coast of Scotland. Completely white head and front. Apparenly gyrs in the States regularly use telegraph poles as look-outs to launch long-range attacks . . .

saluki

saluki said:

anyone ever see the really pale-phase common buzzards that sit on telegraph poles pretending to be white gyrs?

Click to expand...

I've seen a nearly pure white Buzzard in Denmark. Middle of the summer, so the thought of Gyr never crossed my mind.

Michael

Who eats who..

Information from Owls of Europe, Mikkola 1992.

Raptors killed by Eagle Owl in Europe

327 Buzzard
194 Kestrel
55 Goshawk *
35 Sparrowhawk
22 Peregrine *
18 Rough Leg Buz.
12 Honey Buzzard
8 Osprey
5 Merlin
3 Hobby
3 Saker
3 Montagus Harrier
2 Red Kite
2 White-tailed-Eagle
1 Black Kite
1 Hen Harrier
1 Booted Eagle
1 Gyr Falcon *

Also

1 record of Gyr Falcon killing Snowy Owl
2 records of Goshawk killing Great grey owl

Stevie

Dratt ! after all that, its Merely a Rat !

Blooming big rat, that one........its just flown off with a female Goshawk......

S

hehe

hehe...and your drunk?

The comparison of strength between Goshawk and Peregrine seems to be heading away from the subject, both have different hunting methods. The Goshawk is a much more able and nimbler flier than a Peregrine and is able to catch it's prey by a number of different approaches, such as, hunting in closed woodland, taking prey out of the trees,waiting on up high in the sky for something to fly into the territory then diving at terrific speed (almost as fast as Peregrine) and hitting the prey HARD, you can hear the thud and observe the dust come out of the feathers! They can also fly very fast in level pursuit of prey and pluck it out of the sky with their feet. It's the ultimate Raptor and the Peregrine although a fantastic hunter is not in the same street.

Hello Spar

Maybe your CAGES are too small, and as a consequence your Owls brains, have failed to optimise in size.
Hence, they appear Dumb to you...?

PS. i would love to reply to your question, but i need you to clarify it... "have you EVER had ANY REAL contact with Owls APART from via your Bins"
Please ask again, being more specific.
Then i shall be able to furnish you with a full compliment of exciting anecdotes.

Kind regards
Stevie

Spar, when you look in the mirror do you kiss yourself?

Hiya Spar

Its great to see someone with a great passion & sound knowledge for raptors. (You)

(i think that both the Rspb & Twitchers are, on the whole pants)

well ive just scrolled down & see your last posting, i cant think why you are so hostile towards me?

i enjoy an argument as much as the next person, unfortunately im a very slow one finger-typer, so you might be better off picking a PC scrap with someone else

i was going to write about what i do to help owls , but have become sidetracked now.

My mind is on a different place, this time tomorrow i will be on ibiza.

I will wait & see if your mood wears off & then we can have a civilised chat, seeing as we have a mutual affinity for owls & other types of b. of prey.

Kind regards

Steve Evans, Durham City,Co.Durham