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Accipter and Corvid NE.London (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter KenM
- Start date
KenM
Well-known member
Quite right lads!...the interesting aspect is that on length there’s not much in it...compared to the official size differential of 46cm and 37cm respectively for Corvid and female Sprawk, thus it appears that female Sprawks might well be enjoying a greater size differential than currently appreciated?
Cheers
Cheers
Rotherbirder
Well-known member
I won't rise to the bait Ken, don't worry! Nothing to 'sort out', its an obvious Sparrowhawk!! Unless its a Shagorant flying backwards that is?!
RB
RB
In my opinion it's a Goshwak! Clearly bigger than the Sparrowhawk in the "example" photograph and the accompanying carrion Crown, with longer and more bulging head, thicker tail, wider "hand" (note the thinner forewing of female Sparrowhawk) and bicoloured head (for the greater contrast between dark cheeks and pale throat, easy to see if you lighten the photo...).
Ciao, Igor
Ciao, Igor
Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
Not a chance........
Rotherbirder
Well-known member
Ken
Did you get a photo of the female Goshawk you're reporting on the London Bird Club Wiki LatestNews page as having seen today over Woodford Green?
Mike
Did you get a photo of the female Goshawk you're reporting on the London Bird Club Wiki LatestNews page as having seen today over Woodford Green?
Mike
KenM
Well-known member
Mike
I didn't I'm afraid, brevity of view, window frames and trees got in the way, however here are a few shots, first three taken a few years ago from the same window, and the second, a few weeks ago at a site from which I'm not at liberty to divulge.
You should find them most instructive, basically long winged and mostly round tailed, sometimes looking falcon like, with bulging secondaries, and often with (weather conditions allowing) a propensity to glide very long distances on static wings, especially when it's still and warm with cloud cover as it was today at 12.39 pm. If you need assistance in getting to grips with Accipter gentilis ID, you know where to come.
Ken
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Rotherbirder
Well-known member
As a relative newcomer to the forum, be prepared to get used to it as it happens regularly!
RB
Thanks Ken, very droll. Not sure which made me laugh more, your implied offer of help with Goshawk identification or your misspelling of Accipiter. Or did you mean that BirdForum is the place to go?
SteveClifton
Well-known member
How certain are you (or anyone else) that this wasn't a Jackdaw, and hence, a male Sparrowhawk?
KenM
Well-known member
I suspect I’ve had more exposure to Accipiters than yourself Mike, sixty years in the woods has helped!....thus the offer of help as you put it was “a little droll”. Regarding assistance on BF I’m sure you’ll get loads, also beware....misspelling abounds on occasion, hoping you can cope with that, happy birding to you.
Ken
Rotherbirder
Well-known member
KenM
Well-known member
... and sadly still in the woods in so many ways!
RB
I think you might like my “Backwoods” list.....
KenM
Well-known member
Steve, initially it was (as is mostly the case) the call of the corvid, which drew my attention to the sprawk, however, a valid point when presented with this type of scenario.
That said, although there is the odd pair of Jackdaws that breed in the immediate vicinity, I’ve never seen a single Jackdaw engage a Sprawk, it appears to be a Carrion Crow feature.
Cheers
