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Back in the late 1980s, I was 7 years old and I lived in the IP3 of Ipswich. One day, whilst looking out of the window I happened to see a couple of pigeons minding their own business pecking at the grass. Suddenly out of nowhere, what seemed like a huge bird of prey swooped in on one of the pigeons, ripped it’s head off and carried it away. It seemed only to last a couple of seconds.
I was too frightened to investigate straight away but later I told my dad what I saw who looked sceptical but willing to look into the crime scene. We saw a lot of feathers but nothing else.
Could this have happened or was my imagination simply running wild? Thanks.
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Could this have happened or was I completely mistaken? on 11:41 - Jan 24 with 2264 views
I am sure it happened. The feathers prove it. In my garden, on the edge of a town, I have on occasions found just a bunch of feathers in a circle with nothing in between, and I have at least once seen a bird of prey on top of a pigeon. They presumably eat the pigeon before flying away, or at least take the carcase away when it is of manageable size.
Of course a cat or fox could capture and eat a pigeon, but I don't think they would leave just the feathers like that.
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Could this have happened or was I completely mistaken? on 11:55 - Jan 24 with 2152 views
Could this have happened or was I completely mistaken? on 11:45 - Jan 24 by Mookamoo
Sparrowhawks will kill pigeons.
If you're out walking and see a bundle of feathers where something has been killed, it is most probably a Sparrowhawk vs Pigeon battle.
Over time I have thought that, if it happened, a sparrowhawk was responsible. I have seen a sparrowhawk in action before but I remember the bird being much bigger. That said I was a few metres away and was a kid with the perspective a seven year old has.
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Could this have happened or was I completely mistaken? on 12:04 - Jan 24 with 2094 views
I live in ip3 and quite often see birds of prey swooping around, so it's very likely. Holywells Park will attract them in as there is a lot of wildlife there.
I was born underwater, I dried out in the sun.
I started humping volcanoes baby, when I was too young.
Could this have happened or was I completely mistaken? on 11:51 - Jan 24 by DJR
I am sure it happened. The feathers prove it. In my garden, on the edge of a town, I have on occasions found just a bunch of feathers in a circle with nothing in between, and I have at least once seen a bird of prey on top of a pigeon. They presumably eat the pigeon before flying away, or at least take the carcase away when it is of manageable size.
Of course a cat or fox could capture and eat a pigeon, but I don't think they would leave just the feathers like that.
From my kitchen window, I once saw a sparrowhawk kill a live sparrow it had caught (I hadn't seen the capture) by holding the sparrow down by its neck with its beak, whilst repeatedly jumping up & down on its chest with its feet/talons.
Could this have happened or was I completely mistaken? on 11:55 - Jan 24 by MattinLondon
Over time I have thought that, if it happened, a sparrowhawk was responsible. I have seen a sparrowhawk in action before but I remember the bird being much bigger. That said I was a few metres away and was a kid with the perspective a seven year old has.
Female Sparrowhawks can be a lot bigger than the males.
It might have been a captive Harris's Hawk that went for a jolly. They're the ones that are often used to scare pigeons out of industrial spaces and it might have wandered off for a bit.
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Could this have happened or was I completely mistaken? on 12:35 - Jan 24 with 1908 views
Could this have happened or was I completely mistaken? on 12:35 - Jan 24 by BloomBlue
Could be a few different types ie sparrowhawk, peregrine falcon, goshawk or seagull.
A few years ago, I was walking home and a tiny mouse (the sort you see under the tracks of the underground) was running across the road. A seagull grabbed hold of it by the tail and bashed the mouse hard against the side of a building. I had no idea that seagulls were like this until then - thought that they only attacked fish, bins or people eating fish n chips on the seaside.
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Could this have happened or was I completely mistaken? on 14:51 - Jan 24 with 1540 views
Witnessed what I think was a sparrowhawk trying to kill a pigeon in Oxford recently, on the pavement behind some parked cars. The pigeon was struggling quite a lot and the sparrowhawk was attempting to hold it down and kept going at it with it's beak.
A colleague actually got some video on his phone.
No idea when I began here, was a very long time ago. Previously known as Spirit_of_81. Love cheese, hate the colour of it, this is why it requires some blue in it.
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