Eating a spot of lunch in the kitchen today, I was abruptly interupted by a comet of flapping wings and lost feathers which dropped from the sky, past my kitchen window and landed in the back yard of our building. There was a brief struggle and I found myself watching a pigeon's last moments in life as it died under the claws of a small and bright eyed falcon. I rushed to get my camera and over the course of the next half an hour watched as the beautiful predator devored the insides of the pigeon's body. I don't think I've ever seen a falcon in the city before.
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Cities are becoming their primary residence. Abundant supply of pigeons and squabs, plenty of high vantage points and those same vantage points offer protected nesting sites in the same that cliffs used to. Lincoln has a permanent breeding pair of Peregrines which I'm always looking out for. Great to see them so close isn't it? Raptors are just fascinating to study.
I'm told its not a falcon, but a sparrowhawk. Probably female.
T'was still a most interesting experience to see one so close, feeding.
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