The peregrine falcon is a beautiful but ferocious bird of prey, and it is also the fastest animal in the the entire world. When diving, the peregrine falcon can reach speeds of up to 200mph (320kmph). They prey on a range of medium sized birds such as rock doves, feral pigeons, gulls and various species of crows like rooks, magpies and even ravens. Although they have an appetite for crows they grow to be the same weight and roughly the same size. The peregrine falcon inhabits lots of different habitats like mountain ranges, grasslands and the coastline. Peregrines start breeding at the age of about two years of age. Their nest usually holds three or four eggs (slightly smaller than those laid by chickens) that are mottled with dark, reddish brown smudges. The peregrines eggs take about 33 days to hatch. A young falcon in the nest is called a nestling or an eyas. They are covered by white down when they hatch, which is replaced by feathers in three to five weeks. Both the adult male and female help care for the nestlings. Nestlings eat an incredible amount of food. They double their weight in only six days and at three weeks will be ten times birth size. At around forty days after their birth, young peregrines begin flying. Adult peregrines encourage flight by "baiting" the young with food, which is no longer fed directly to the young. The young falcons leave the area where they hatched by the end of summer to disperse and establish a territory of their own, elsewhere. |
| Peregrine chicks Simmular species; * Hobby *Merlin *Sparrow hawk *Ghost hawk *Gyre falcon *Spear falcon |
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| Adult peregrine falcon |
The incredible Oyster catchers
Oyster catchers are striking, black and white wading birds with long bright red bills. Their bill is used to break into shellfish, and each individual inherits a particular technique from its parents. Despite the name, oyster catchers are not known to eat oysters and in fact favour mussels, cockles and whelks. They supplement this specialized diet of hard-shelled mollusks with softer-bodied invertebrates, such as crustaceans, worms and insects. Oyster catchers are primarily shorebirds, although they do sometimes breed inland by rivers and lochs. They are more usually found at the coast during the winter.
The hooded crow, or 'hoodie' is now recognised as a different species to the carrion crow. Both are around the same shape and size as a rook but the hooded crow is easily identified by its two-colour plumage; the body is a dirty grey, while the wings, tail, head and bib are black. The calls are harsh and croaky, and include a 'kra-kra-kra', which may have given rise to the imitative name 'crow'. Like the carrion crow, this is an omnivorous species, taking a wide variety of food, including insects, molluscs, eggs from other birds' nests, berries and fish. Hooded crows are intelligent birds; in Finland they have been seen reeling in fishing lines left in holes in the ice to obtain fish. Other aspects of their general biology are very similar to that of the carrion crow. In Britain, this crow mainly occurs in north and western Scotland, it also occurs in Ireland and on the Isle of Man. Elsewhere it is widespread throughout central and northern Europe between the Arctic in the north to the Mediterranean in the south. Where the distributions of carrion and hooded crows meet, there is a zone of interbreeding where hybrids with intermediate plumage occur. In Britain, these hybrids arise in a band roughly between Aberdeen and Glasgow. Hooded crows are perceived as a threat to livestock, as they are believed to kill and injure young lambs and trapped sheep. Although they do cause some problems of this nature, the perception is greater than the reality, and they have been persecuted as a result for many hundreds of years. Receives general protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, but can be trapped, shot or their eggs and nests destroyed under the terms of General Licences issued by government. Included in the Birds of Conservation Concern Green List (low conservation concern).
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| Glaucous Gull |
Most people refer gulls to sea-gulls but there is actually no such thing.
There are lots of types of gulls like the biggest the great black backed gull
and the once that you find far out at sea, the kittiwakes and the ivory gulls.
Gulls are best know for being scavengers (eat what ever they find) but some
eat smaller birds, fish, squid and eggs of smaller birds. The most common gulls
you see would be the herring gull (named for its peckish appetite for the fish
herring) its very large and it has gray wings and pink skinny legs.
Brown headed gull (Below)
The brown headed gull is a common sight of beach lovers and fishermen. Its a rather small gull and loves to finish off scrapes of a picnic. Its a scavenger but loves to have a pic at a sand eel.
Glaucous gull The glaucous gull is a large gull that you may find around a marina or a harbor. They spend they summer time in the arctic feeding on small penguins and guillemots, dead seals and whales and they migrate down to britain in the summer.
Herring gulls (Left) are large, noisy gulls found throughout the year around our coasts and inland around rubbish tips, fields, large reservoirs and lakes, especially during winter. Adults have light grey backs, white under parts, and black wing tips with white 'mirrors'. Their legs are pink, with webbed feet and they have heavy, slightly hooked bills marked with a red spot. Young birds are mottled brown. They have suffered moderate declines over the past 25 years and over half of their UK breeding population is confined to fewer than ten sites.
The common gull (Right) looks like a small, gentler version of the herring gull, with greenish legs and a yellow bill. Despite its name, it is not at all common in some inland areas, though often abundant on the coast and in some eastern counties. They are now seen more often in towns and on housing estates in winter.
Kittiwakes (Left)
A gentle looking, small sized gull with a small yellow bill and a dark eye. It has a grey back and is white underneath. Its legs are short and black. In flight the black wing-tips show no white, unlike other gulls, and look as if they have been 'dipped in ink'. The population is declining in some areas, perhaps due to a shortage of sand eels. After breeding birds move out into the Atlantic where they spend the winter.
Lesser black-backed gull (Above)
Slightly smaller than a herring gull, the Lesser black-backed gull has a dark grey to black back and wings, yellow bill and yellow legs. Their world population is found entirely in Europe. After declines in the 19th century due to persecution they increased their range and numbers. This expansion has now halted and there is serious concern about declines in many parts of its range. The species is on the Amber List because the UK is home to 40% of the European population.
The yellow-legged gull (Left)
These have only recently been recognized as a species in its own right, having previously been considered to be a race of herring gull. Adults have darker grey backs and wings than herring gulls, but are paler than lesser black-backed gulls. They have more black in the wing tips than herring gulls and smaller white 'mirrors'. The legs are bright yellow, there is a red ring around the eye and the bill is yellow with a large red spot. In non-breeding plumage, the head is less streaked and whiter than herring gulls. Juvenile yellow-legged gulls are very similar to juvenile lesser black-backed gulls, but tend to be whiter-headed and start to gain a grey 'saddle' on their backs quickly as they moult to first winter plumage. Immature birds gain adult-like characteristics as they mature over the course of five years with the legs turning yellow and dark grey feathers replacing the brown and black immature feathers.
Great black backed gull (Right)
The brown headed gull is a common sight of beach lovers and fishermen. Its a rather small gull and loves to finish off scrapes of a picnic. Its a scavenger but loves to have a pic at a sand eel.
Glaucous gull The glaucous gull is a large gull that you may find around a marina or a harbor. They spend they summer time in the arctic feeding on small penguins and guillemots, dead seals and whales and they migrate down to britain in the summer.
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| Herring gulls eggs |
The common gull (Right) looks like a small, gentler version of the herring gull, with greenish legs and a yellow bill. Despite its name, it is not at all common in some inland areas, though often abundant on the coast and in some eastern counties. They are now seen more often in towns and on housing estates in winter.
The black headed gull (Left), Mediterranean gull and little gull
These are very similar. They have blackish brown heads, grey wings and blood red bills. They also have sweet soft calls. These birds have a diet of small fish like sand eels and they are also scavengers.
These are very similar. They have blackish brown heads, grey wings and blood red bills. They also have sweet soft calls. These birds have a diet of small fish like sand eels and they are also scavengers.
Kittiwakes (Left)Slightly smaller than a herring gull, the Lesser black-backed gull has a dark grey to black back and wings, yellow bill and yellow legs. Their world population is found entirely in Europe. After declines in the 19th century due to persecution they increased their range and numbers. This expansion has now halted and there is serious concern about declines in many parts of its range. The species is on the Amber List because the UK is home to 40% of the European population.
The yellow-legged gull (Left)
These have only recently been recognized as a species in its own right, having previously been considered to be a race of herring gull. Adults have darker grey backs and wings than herring gulls, but are paler than lesser black-backed gulls. They have more black in the wing tips than herring gulls and smaller white 'mirrors'. The legs are bright yellow, there is a red ring around the eye and the bill is yellow with a large red spot. In non-breeding plumage, the head is less streaked and whiter than herring gulls. Juvenile yellow-legged gulls are very similar to juvenile lesser black-backed gulls, but tend to be whiter-headed and start to gain a grey 'saddle' on their backs quickly as they moult to first winter plumage. Immature birds gain adult-like characteristics as they mature over the course of five years with the legs turning yellow and dark grey feathers replacing the brown and black immature feathers.
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| great black backed gull |
Great black backed gull (Right)
These are very large, thick-set black-backed gulls with a powerful beaks. Adults are blacker than the smaller lesser black-backed gull. It has a heavy flight and can look quite hunched when perched. It will fight off other gulls and chase them to snatch food. Its also the largest gull in the world, its wingspan can reach up to 1.5m in length.
Jackdaws
The smooth, glossy pale blue eggs are marked with blackish-brown, and approximately 36 mm by 26 mm. The female incubates the eggs by herself. After the young hatch, they are fed by both parents. British birds are mostly resident, though upland breeding birds migrate south and west to lowland regions and Ireland for the winter. Meanwhile, the wintering population is increased by immigrants from northern Europe, which arrive along the east coast in the autumn.
Jackdaws are thriving and this is largely a result of improved breeding
By Arthur
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