Why?

I had often wondered why odd trees are left standing when a forest is harvested. It's only recently that I discovered the answer.

Sadness: RIP Merlin

I should have had the courage of my convictions. The raptor in the last post was, indeed, a Merlin. After everyone had convinced me to look for a reason as to how I could have been so mistaken after being so sure, The Fates intervened. I wish they hadn't. On Saturday the Merlin made an attempt to take a sparrow from the birdtable, overshot, crashed and broke a wing. Although I called the SSPCA and gave her water from a dropper she soon went into shock and died. This morning the ornithologist and vet confirmed that she was a Merlin and that she was far too small to be a female Sparrowhawk even if the markings had not been sufficient identification.

I'd rather have been wrong and that she had lived.

A First: Merlin

It's not the first Merlin I've seen on the Island by any means but it's the first one I've seen sitting on a post in my garden. It was there for only a short time and, sod's law, I had a macro lens on the camera and the Big Lens was in the boot of the car. So I had to make do with a 200mm lens through a window at an oblique angle. I just managed a shot before it departed at speed. I say 'it' because it's either a female or a young male. The garden has been strangely devoid of sparrows this afternoon so I assume it's still lurking.

Post script to this post: Well I apologise for misleading everyone. I have seen many Sparrowhawks and photographed them too. What made me not even think of this one being a sparrowhawk was the fact that it was so small: about the same size as a blackbird. However I have now had a more analytical look at it and the determining factor is the wings. I should immediately have noticed. When one sees a sparrowhawk the short stocky wings are very noticeable when compared with the long sharp wings of the Merlin.

Post post script: As my next post will show. It was a Merlin after all. I should have had the courage of my convictions.

Harris Hawk and Peregrine Falcon

Last year CJ and I visited the Chester Cathedral Falconry. We thoroughly enjoyed it and got some good photos and, of course blogged about it. CJ blogged about it here and here.

We visited it again this year and I think I managed to improve on my photos:

Harris Hawk

Harris Hawk

Harris Hawk

Perigrine Falcon

Peregrine Falcon

Grounded having taken the lure

Harris Hawk

Chester

Someone recently asked what my favourite city is. I don't have one specific place but Chester is certainly one that holds fond memories and has played quite a part in my life. It is also a beautiful old walled city. I've blogged before about the beautiful old buildings so today I'll just mention that, on Monday, CJ and I went to Chester and decided upon a whim to visit the Chester Cathedral Falconry and Nature Gardens. I've been to a few falconries in my time and I've not been a great lover of birds in captivity. 

However the visit to the falconry (CJ's blog is here) changed my view considerably. It was quite clear that the falconer, Sophie Pegg, had an amazing rapport with the birds. Instead of being poor unhappy captives I saw the birds as rescued or reared and, if a bird is capable of happiness or contentment, then the birds we saw seemed to be content or happy.

I thought  that I was pretty knowledgeable about raptors and, perhaps even vultures. However the talk that Sophie gave was not just entertaining for the children and parents but also for the relative oldies like CJ (sorry CJ) and I. It also completely altered my view of vultures. They are amazing and, of course, necessary creatures.

Sophie with the vulture named Tinker.

I also managed a rather fetching head of a Golden Eagle.