Terror!

Giphsub

Well, that is what the smaller birds feel when these guys buzz our neighbourhood!

#1


Every few days I see them circling and all the little ones go ducking for cover. I think this one is a peregrine falcon, but there are also Australian Hobbys around which are only slightly smaller but similarly coloured (slightly browner).

Anyway, it was this fella cruising by that brought my attention to this little critter!

#2


It's a red-capped robin! I have never seen one around here. It flew up into the cover of the tree foliage. Then after the falcon had gone came back down.

#3


It was very tame, so maybe had escaped from somewhere. But it knew to avoid the falcon. It's beak was quite deformed.

#4


I got up on the roof the next day hoping that the falcon would come back, but only had this little willy wagtail come to keep me company.

#5


#6



That was a couple of days ago. Then today I was walking back home through the park when I spotted this guy sitting high up a tree. I ran home, grabbed the camera and came back, and luckily he was still there! Late, late afternoon light (I only got a couple of minutes before the light disappeared) so the bigma didn't get real crisp shots, but I was happy enough. I think this might be a hobby, not a peregrine, but can't be sure.

#7


#8


#9


#10

SKM

Hi Mike

Nice set of pictures, to my untrained eye the first looks like a perigrine.
Shame about the robins beak - I wonder if it affects his feeding

Regards

Stan

Giphsub

I am changing my call on the ID of #1 On consultation with my bird book I think it might be a Brown Goshawk. The wing shape is different to the peregrine falcon.

Thanks for looking Stan. The robin seemed to feed on the lawn fine and looked quite healthy.

dlplumer

Really like 2 and 4 Mike

raptorcaptor

Interesting set of birds Mike! Very nice!

Ric Grupe

Interesting series, Mike.

That beak is truely odd...makes you wonder.

BigAl

Nice set Mike! That Robin is a pretty guy in spite of the strange bill aberration. You were lucky to get a wagtail sitting still. On my last outing I took 100s of pics of wagtails, and most of them were blurred because they never stop moving.

Jack'll do

Good one Mike. That robin is quite pretty. Never seen one before.

PrescottPhotog

Giphsub wrote:

Well, that is what the smaller birds feel when these guys buzz our neighbourhood!

Hi Mike, I saw a Red Winged Blackbird that had the same problem a few months back. I think this happens from the wrong diet when young, at least that is what I have heard. Especially if they are hand raised with the wrong food (like if someone found them fallen from the nest and tried to raise them).

Giphsub

dlplumer wrote:

Really like 2 and 4 Mike

Thanks Dan. Yep, those were the 2 shots I was most pleased with.

Giphsub

raptorcaptor wrote:

Interesting set of birds Mike! Very nice!

Cheers Glen. I have found the tree the pair of hobby's perch in at night, so I will try and get back with some better light and try and get some better shots of them.

Giphsub

Ric Grupe wrote:

Interesting series, Mike.

That beak is truely odd...makes you wonder.

Thanks Ric. Yeah, it is weird. Chris' explanation sounds interesting.

Giphsub

BigAl wrote:

Nice set Mike! That Robin is a pretty guy in spite of the strange bill aberration. You were lucky to get a wagtail sitting still. On my last outing I took 100s of pics of wagtails, and most of them were blurred because they never stop moving.

Yeah they don't sit still for long eh! This little fella came and was checking me out. So he sat there on the antenna for long enough to get a few shots. I even had time to walk around him to get rid of the backlighting. Thanks BigAl. Again, the low light with the bigma didn't give me the most satisfying results with the hobby. It really doesn't seem to perform too well unless it is bright daylight. It doesn't give sharp shots.

Giphsub

Jack'll do wrote:

Good one Mike. That robin is quite pretty. Never seen one before.

Thanks Jack. I hadn't either until then!

Giphsub

PrescottPhotog wrote:

Hi Mike, I saw a Red Winged Blackbird that had the same problem a few months back. I think this happens from the wrong diet when young, at least that is what I have heard. Especially if they are hand raised with the wrong food (like if someone found them fallen from the nest and tried to raise them).

That's an interesting explanation eh Chris! Poor little fella. Hopefully it doesn't affect him too much. It didn't seem to, but you never know.