Birds Prey

Without wanting to sound smart OP, it's just a matter of looking up in the air. I see sparrowhawk, peregrine, kestrels etc on a weekly if not sometimes daily basis.

Are you familiar with the birds in question? If not I am sure we can recommend a good field guide which can describe them and the tell tale traits which aid identification.

If you really want to see a peregrine though, look no further than the Temple Bar area. I have seen one (possibly the same bird) on three days in a row last week!

I have heard of sparrowhawk taking rabbits before but I am dubious. I can't rule it out of course but I always wonder if it was a buzzard that was seen. Or maybe a kestrel.

I have the habit of looking up all the time now. It is amazing how much is going on above us if only we take a few minutes to stop and look up. I see sparrowhawks all over Dublin. Kestrels are not as common though I fear but maybe I am just missing them.

It's the nearest thing to having a spiritual side for me. I am a born again atheist but I never cease to be amazed by the world.

I saw 2 Kestrels on the coast road the other day. I was driving at the time so can't be sure of the identification. One on the Clontarf Rd near the bottom of Seafield Ave and the other on the Howth Rd near the bottom of Kilbarrack Rd. Both were hovering over the high tide mark probably after rats.

donalglackin wrote: »

theres a pair of kestrels that live on bull island i see the most times when i'm down there sometimes they hunt along the sanddunes as well.

Saw one of them again about an hour ago at the top of Baldoyle Road. It was doing the classic windhovering at about 30 feet over the high tide line and the tide was almost fully in. The proximity to traffic and cyclists on the seafront was remarkable. Next time, I'll make sure to have my camera.

Hackman wrote: »

I was working in an industrial estate in Finglas recently and saw Buzzards soaring one sunny day. I was amazed to see them so close to the city.

They are a common enough sight in north County Dublin these days. I saw many earlier this summer near enough to Finglas. I was working around Kilshane Cross. How close to Finglas were you?

Judgement Day wrote: »

In another life I was big into bird watching (feathered, of course) but I haven't been active for many years however I think you are mistaken if you are seeing buzzards about. According two the Irish Birding site www.irishbirding.com there have only been two recent sightings of buzzards in Ireland. That's it - no rant - CIE aren't involved so I will go back to my beer and chill out. Night. :):):)

Buzzards are and have been on the way back in the past ten years. There are an estimated 200 breeding pairs in the leinster region alone. I know because I took part in the survey with the Irish Raptor Study Group. And that was a number of years ago so the figures are probably higher now.

It's probably that they are so ubiquitous that they don't .

I even see them in Wexford. In fact, Wexford and Waterford were early strongholds in the re-population of the island. It is thought they were blown over from Cornwall and south Wales and fell in love with the rabbits.

Ah well the failed birdwatcher/trainspotter will throw in his thruppence worth again.. I spotted what I think was a red kite from the train (what else!) south of Rathdrum station last week. I have queried Irishbirding.com about this but haven't heard back yet. Hawks were never high on my list when I was an active birdwatcher - there being so few about - that my powers of identification in that area are limited. I am 99.9% certain that it was a red kite - they do still breed in Wales don't they? :):)

Judgement Day wrote: »

Ah well the failed birdwatcher/trainspotter will throw in his thruppence worth again.. I spotted what I think was a red kite from the train (what else!) south of Rathdrum station last week. I have queried Irishbirding.com about this but haven't heard back yet. Hawks were never high on my list when I was an active birdwatcher - there being so few about - that my powers of identification in that area are limited. I am 99.9% certain that it was a red kite - they do still breed in Wales don't they? :):)

Yep. Thats right in the middle of the release area. From Glenealy to Arklow over farmland you will see them swooping for crane flies at this time of year. Think 30 plus were released. Big bird, red, forked tail, rusty look, unmistakable

lightening wrote: »

I see them when I am on motorways, have they adapted to road kill?

Sorry, I missed this post and it deserves an answer as it is a very important question.

Assuming you are referring to buzzards, the answer is they were always known for taking carrion so road kill could be classed thus. I have never seen this but I can see no reason why they wouldnt exploit such resources. Also, one reason why they almost became lost to our native fauna was the fact they took carrion. Landowners and game keepers used to leave out carcasses seeded with toxins to control foxes etc. but the buzzards would take them too. This can also be a reason why the red kite also disappeared from the record.