Any Tips For Spotting BOP's ? (1 Viewer)

Any Tips For Spotting BOP ?

Hi again,

Well this is a bit like the last thread ive just posted only my target birds are alot bigger and harder to find. Im going to a woods were i constantly find buzzards flying and i have seen a suspect Goshawk but it could be a big kestrel or bird of similar shape. Well there are a few things i would like to know ...

1) Are there any signs that i should look out for whilst trying to find a bird of prey? (feathers, droppings, dead prey ? )

2) What type of trees do different birds like ?. ( what kind of trees would a buzzard normally be perched on)

3) Do i need to be really sly whilst looking or can i walk as normal and the birds not to be bothered ?

4) If i have dog with me will raptors dissapear as soon as they see them or will they be fine with it?

5) If you went into a wood where would you first look ? (dense woodland, sloped hill, open space, open space with a few trees ect ect?)

Thanks for reading.

Sorry about all these newbie questions

David

All depending on what type of habitat you have locally. If your lucky enough to have a decent sized woodland then what you need to find is a high enough view point to over-view the woods. It is never easy or advisable to look for the raptors within the woodland, far better viewing over the tops of the trees. Best time to be in situ around 09:00, Buzzards and alike do not rise above the woods much before then.

Hope this helps.

Mick

There is a good viewpoint looking down over the top of the woodland although it does not cover much of it. Its a very large wood i would say 1 - 1 1/2 mile wide but then 3 - 4 miles length (big to me) .

Birds often spot a BoP before you do - they've got more reason to do so! So when birds suddenly start taking off, particularly one after another along the wide sweep of land, look out for a raptor. Naturally this works best if you have some elevation and a wide view. Birds taking off over a limited area may have been flushed by a fox or human, but it's still worth scanning just in case,

John

In the woodland you can check for plucking stumps.Find a fallen tree stump a few feet tall and check the top for feathers etc.Small finch and tit feathers will indicate a Sparrowhawk and Grey Squirrel hairs will indicate Goshawk.
On open mountainside check for pigeon feathers in a pile.This will usually indicate a Peregrine kill.Buzzards will feed mainly on roadkill sheep and carrion.
Check the shaft at the base of the feathers to see whether a fox or a raptor has eaten it.A fox will rip these out in clumps usually crushing the shafts.A bird of prey will only leave a small neat crease in the shaft.
Another thing to keep an eye out for is pellets.They look a bit like fox droppings but without the `twirly` bit at the end.This is the undigestable parts of a prey item that raptors regurgitate.You can break these up quite easily to check the contents.Owl pellets will usually contain rodent skulls and jawbones.Kestrels will normally contain beetle casings and shells.Other raptors will contain sheep wool and rabbit fur for Buzzard,squirrel fur and feathers for Goshawk and so on.
Hope this helps,
Mike.

In addition to all of the above, corvid activity is often a help in finding raptors. Rooks and jackdaws will mob them. Look for parties in what looks like swooping or diving flight, there could be a raptor being driven away. It's east to dismiss corvid activity but I find they are useful for finding raptors, have even found peregrines this way.

Joanne

In more open areas such as wetlands a good sign that a raptor is present is when all the waders/ducks suddenly take off.

In addition to above, many other species will mob BOPs. I have seen Common Terns and Black-headed Gulls mobbing a Kestrel and Swallows chasing off a Sparrowhawk.

keep looking up - in the sky. thats how i notice most of mine