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Birds of prey are amazing. They are raptors that feed on vertebrate prey, which are often very proportionately large compared to the body sizes of the birds themselves. They have fantastic eyesight and often hover above prey and then quickly swoop down for the kill. They have some amazing adaptations including an incredibly strong talon (back claw) to help them successfully hunt prey. There are various different types of birds of prey; from eagles to owls and vultures. I always count myself really lucky when I spot them in the wild, as they really are an incredible sight.
In recent weeks, there have been multiple sightings of sparrowhawks soaring over Nimrod Road, and other roads in the area. Sparrowhawks are a smaller species of raptor that often visits London gardens to hunt for prey.
Local resident Francis, knows all about this behaviour, as she encountered this some time ago when a sparrowhawk visited her garden to feast on a Wood Pigeon! This bird will also tend to feed on smaller prey such as finches or tits, and is relatively common in the local area. They are known to be nesting in Graveney woods, which is fantastic news and I hope to see more of them in future.
Sparrowhawks are not the only birds of prey to be spotted in the area recently. In fact, a few really rare sightings have occurred in the past week or so.
Keen local birdwatcher Mike observed a red kite being mobbed by crows on the Common a few weeks ago. Although red kite populations are widespread across the UK due to successful conservation programmes, they are not commonly seen in our area so this is an amazing sighting! In my University town of Reading, there were hundreds of Red Kites and wherever you went you would always see them soaring in the sky. They are wonderful birds, and I really hope I get to see one in London soon too.
Buzzards are another bird of prey that has been sighted in the area over the past few weeks, which is really out of the ordinary. This bird is not common in Tooting, so it is really fascinating that their presence seems to be increasing here. There have been at least three buzzard sightings recently in Furzedown which is great to hear. This species’ populations have suffered terribly from pesticide poisoning in the past but luckily their numbers are increasing in the UK.
So, how can we tell the difference between these three birds? Well sparrowhawks are definitely the smallest of the bunch. They are the individuals you will most likely see in the area and who may well visit your gardens. They can be as small as blackbirds and are grey and orange in colouration. Red kites are much larger and have a really distinctive V shaped tail, which can be easily identified from below. Their plumage is also much darker and more of a red/brown colour. Buzzards are medium sized birds of prey and are brown. They have a really distinctive ‘kee-yaa’ call which sounds almost cat like, so this is definitely something we can listen out for.
Thank you to Mike, Francis and others that have reported these amazing sightings! Although it is fascinating and awe-inspiring, I do worry about increased competition in the area and how their increased presence will be affecting our local bird populations... only time will tell!
If you’d like to find out some more about birds of prey in London, visit the RPPB website, where some of this information has been extracted from: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/kites-hawks-eagles/.