But something did not feel quite right so I put my bins onto it: a Kestrel! on the ground in the cemetery! never happened to me before... I do see them from time to time hover around or passing by, but this, never.
It initially flew to the cut down tree of paradise but didn't stay there long as it was chased away by one of the Jays. I had actually wondered about the Jays earlier that day thinking that I had not seen them for a while, so now I have a hint as to where they may be nesting. It then went on to sit on a tombstone.
then another:
where it proceeded to scratch an itch:
It then flew back on various trees above the pigeon flock. A few times it flew into the pigeon flock who took barely any notice of it. Following some suggestion of weird matings on the Londonbirders mailing list my mind wondered for a nanosecond whether it was after that afore featured pigeon which was in the middle of it...
It then flew from tree to tree, panicking some small birds on the way, but, unfortunately, I had to leave and leave it to it. I'll never know but the next day I found a dead young black bird missing its head...
For more photos, go to my album or click on any of the photos.
Hi Nathalie, thanks for the kind comment you left on my blog, it's good to be back :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great find you had among the Pigeons and it could so easily have been overlooked at first! I notice that you often write about Margravine Cemetery and after Googling it I can see why, it sounds like a real haven for wildlife! Our local cemetery is quite small but very old and you have prompted me to consider going there with my binoculars instead of the usual wreaths and flowers! I really should have thought about it before as it was the first place I ever noticed Long Tailed Tits.