The Wildlife of
Gibside

 
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Birds of Prey - The Sparrowhawk

First seen on Tuesday 1st March 2022 at Gibside

This isn't a very good photo, but the Sparrowhawk doesn't always pose for its photo like some birds. It was soaring very high above the Stables Courtyard (while I was having lunch). The female is all over brown, with bright yellow eyes. The male is more blue/grey in colour with a pale pink streaked front. His eyes are a deeper yellow. Sparrowhawks can sometimes be seen flying quickly through the trees, or sometimes a large flock of birds fly up, with a sparrowhawk following.

In the second photo there are three birds - A Red Kite in the top left (with forked tail), a Buzzard at the bottom (with rounded tail), and the Sparrowhawk middle right. I sometimes wonder if the sparrowhawk I see is a Goshawk, but they are the same size as a buzzard, so this one is clearly a smaller sparrowhawk.