mature_in_tree_x-zoom.jpg

fantastic bird

WOW...

Beautiful birds......... but I don't like the idea of the unwanted chickens being thrown out for them.

Well, it's the dead ones they throw out - quite an attrition rate in chicken farms, believe...

Ah....I see Elke......yes this is a hazard with chicken farming. A lot of new legislation being sought over here for chicken welfare.

Do these live in your Garden Ekle? I think id be affraid of them :/ But they are Beautiful Birds :)

They fly over frequently - they must have an aerie up the valley a bit further. They like circling over the spruce woods between us and the bay - the wing span is amazing.
Sorry about the chicken tale - it's sad to know they are raised in such appalling conditions sometimes. At least now in the UK your eggs are marked as to whether they are caged or free range. Ours are marked 'free-range' if they are, but the others have no designation, so people don't even think about it.

What a stunning site this must be . Thought they like fish too or is this a different eagle that swoops and catches them from lakes ? Hear they becoming quite rare .

Bald eagles fish too, and there's a river close by here where they also congregate. You see dozens of them there now in the trees. A few years ago there were very few, but even down here now you see more and more. The other bird you're probably thinking of is the osprey, or fish eagle. I'll post a couple of photos. They often fly over our house on the way back to the nest from the salt marsh behind the beach with a fish in their talons. They hold it in line with their body so as not to cause resistance to the wind. But the fish flap around anyway. Did you take a look at the link I gave for the eagle watch?

Thanks Elke - we have Ospreys in Scotland so appropriate you have them in Nova Scotia .What a sight to have on your doorstep.Eagles as well - will take at look at the eagle watch.Thanks again.Great link - love the information pity they only visit in depths of winter ( Nov -- Mar is that right ? ) love the sound of that breakfast pancakes sausages and muffins mmm .

O BB that Hawk was in My garden yesterday & had caught a small bird i got a closer look of it this time as it landed near My Wig Wam it looked bigger than a Sparrow Hawk &its tail looks Shorter & Wider :( I think it was a Robin he/she caught as iv not seen any of my 2 since the Hawk came :(

Aw Jacque, how sad to witness your little bird being taken. Could the bird be a buzzard, BB will know.. So sad, but I suppose this is nature being cruel.:(

Difficult to think of any other hawk that would venture into gardens for small birds Jacque. Female sparrowhawks bigger than the male if it was grey with bars on its chest and yellow legs - would still guess sparrowhawk.

Havent seen ours for a few months so having mentioned it sure it ll turn up soon.Hope your robins Ok - garden does go quiet for a few days after one visits our goldfinches disappeared for week before slowly returning.

I've seen the sparrow hawk swooping down near the bird table in our garden too, they are so fast and agile aren't they, so pleased there are shrubs closeby to protect them.

Could it have been a kestrel? Don't know if you have anything as small as an American kestrel over there. I'm not so familiar with British birds any more. We have something called a Merlin over here too, hardly bigger than a bluejay, looks just like a miniature hawk.

2 Big & Dark for Sparrow Hawk BB,il try take pic of it Flying over to the Big Cementry Trees,Its even had a Full Size Racing Pigeon from a Neighbours garden ,I only saw it few wks back swoop down after My little Birds & it fly so gracfully behind &through My Laurals i held my breath hopeing he/she dint catch any thing :/ it caught 1 of the Blackbird Fledgelings last Summer In The Same Laurals :(

A pic would be great Jacque if possible.Buzzards will take birds occassionally but would have thought a garden too enclosed for them - they prefer open farmland .