There really isn't a great deal to say about our Peregrines this week, as we've hardly seen anything of them! However, I thought this would be a good opportunity to tell you a bit more about the other raptors we see up at the Symonds Yat rock.
Buzzards are seen every day and they are now the commonest and most widespread UK bird of prey. They are quite large raptors with broad, rounded wings, and a short neck and tail. When gliding and soaring they will often hold their wings in a shallow 'V' and the tail is fanned. We are very fortunate at Symonds Yat to be able to view them from above. Birds are variable in colour from all dark brown to much paler variations; all have dark wingtips and a finely barred tail. Their plaintive mewing call could be mistaken for a cat. Thankfully we don't get many cats at Symonds Yat.
Sparrowhawks are also seen on a daily basis and we have an active young family beneath the rock at present. Adult males have a slate grey back and white underparts, closely barred with orange. Their grey tail has 4-5 dark bars. Females are larger, with brown upperparts, a white stripe over the eye and dark barring underneath. They look heavier than the males. Their broad, rounded wings and long tail are adapted for flying between trunks and branches enabling them to weave in and out of trees at high speed. They never hover like kestrels.
Kestrels are occasionally seen from the rock, but usually far off in the distance over Coppet Hill. They are a more familiar sight whilst driving, with their pointed wings and long tail, hovering beside a roadside verge. Numbers of kestrels declined in the 1970s, probably as a result of changes in farming and so it is included on the Amber List. They have adapted readily to man-made environments and can survive right in the centre of cities.
Goshawks are also occasional and very popular sightings from the rock. They are large hawks, almost reaching buzzard size. When seen close to they have a fierce expression with bright red eyes and a distinctive white eyebrow. Their broad wings enable them to hunt at high speed, weaving in and out of trees, and their long legs and talons can catch their prey in flight. The females are substantially larger than the males. In late winter and spring they have a 'sky-dance' display and one can get fantastic views of this behaviour at Symonds Yat. Sadly, goshawks are still persecuted and their nests are frequently robbed.
Red Kites are periodical visitors to Symonds Yat. These magnificently graceful birds of prey are unmistakable with their reddish-brown body, angled wings and deeply forked tail. They were saved from national extinction by one of the world's longest running protection programmes, and have now been successfully re-introduced to England and Scotland. They are an Amber List species because of their historical decline.
Hobbies are about the size of a kestrel with long pointed wings, reminiscent of a giant swift. They have a dashing flight and will chase large insects and small birds like swallows and martins. Prey is often caught in their talons and transferred to their beak in flight. They can accelerate rapidly in flight and are capable of high-speed aerial manoeuvres. They are a summer visitor to these shores from Africa and are usually here between April and October.
Ospreys are another summer visitor to the British Isles. Seen in flight from below ospreys have white or slightly mottled underparts. The long wings are angled, bending at the 'wrist' which has a black patch contrasting with the white wing linings and at a distance they could be mistaken for a large gull. These spectacular fish-eating birds of prey are an Amber List species because of their historical decline (due to illegal killing), and low breeding numbers. They usually arrive here in March and will be returning any day from now on, so look up to the skies and double-check any passing gull!