Bird of Prey

ali · Post by **ali** » 25 Jul 2006, 15:19

At work this morning at meadowbank I heard some seagulls squawking noisily.

Nothing unusual about that but after it persisted for a few minutes I looked out of the window and upwards to see about fifty or sixty gulls swooping and diving at this huge (compared to them) bird of prey which was circling lazily through them.

Difficult to say just how big it was but it was much larger than the sparrowhawks and kestrels which nested on the roof of MBH a few years ago.

Anyway, it was difficult to say just what was going on. Not sure who was threatening who - I wouldn't say that the bird was at all concerned by the noisy attack from the gulls, it just wheeled away towards the park and the noise died away.

Did anyone else see it and anyone have any idea what it was ? Buzzard? Kite? Surely not an eagle.........??

foxy · Post by **foxy** » 25 Jul 2006, 15:26

I did hear seagulls squawking here at the West End...quite a lot today in fact, but couldn't be bovvered looking out....shortly afterwards however an absolutely massive butterfly came in our window and flew back out again.

Are you sure you're not exaggerating Ali

Jackson Priest · Post by **Jackson Priest** » 25 Jul 2006, 15:37

There is a baby seagull in our carpark (in the west end), which has fallen out of its nest. It cannot fly yet, so its mother squawks (sp?) at it from the roof above. And it cries back, a bit pathetically.

Maybe this is the squawking you can hear, Foxy? You may also have detected a grateful sounding squawk at approx 1.15, when I gave Baby Seagull a fine lunch of cheese and worms which I had prepared for it earlier. The look of need and love in its eyes as I put the bowl gently down by its left wing made me feel tiny and humble.

Ali's not just exaggerating - he's made the whole thing up I reckon.

Eagles. What utter nonsense!

ali · Post by **ali** » 25 Jul 2006, 15:39

foxy wrote:I did hear seagulls squawking here at the West End...quite a lot today in fact, but couldn't be bovvered looking out....shortly afterwards however an absolutely massive butterfly came in our window and flew back out again.

Are you sure you're not exaggerating Ali

Naw missus!! Honest. It was massive!!!!!!!!

ali · Post by **ali** » 25 Jul 2006, 15:43

Jackson Priest wrote:There is a baby seagull in our carpark (in the west end), which has fallen out of its nest. It cannot fly yet, so its mother squawks (sp?) at it from the roof above. And it cries back, a bit pathetically.

Maybe this is the squawking you can hear, Foxy? You may also have detected a grateful sounding squawk at approx 1.15, when I gave Baby Seagull a fine lunch of cheese and worms which I had prepared for it earlier. The look of need and love in its eyes as I put the bowl gently down by its left wing made me feel tiny and humble.

Ali's not just exaggerating - he's made the whole thing up I reckon.

Eagles. What utter nonsense!

Cheese and worms!!! yeah right. Even I know that baby seagulls should only get seagull milk. You've probably killed it now .
never mind the foxes'll get it later on tonight.

And it was an eagle. It was massive!!!!!!!

foxy · Post by **foxy** » 25 Jul 2006, 18:12

ali wrote: never mind the foxes'll get it later on tonight.

Nothing to do with me

Jackson Priest · Post by **Jackson Priest** » 25 Jul 2006, 18:34

ali wrote: Cheese and worms!!! yeah right. Even I know that baby seagulls should only get seagull milk. You've probably killed it now .
never mind the foxes'll get it later on tonight.

I did! Honest! I was going to get it a tin of sardines, but I thought that it might end up in a fight with a cat, and besides, I wasn't sure if it would be able to work out the funny windy back key thing.

Tomrrow I'm going to give it some of the vegetarian black pudding I bought today off the internet.

ali wrote: And it was an eagle. It was massive!!!!!!!

Yeah right yourself! You're back on that funny stuff again aren't you?

(Can you get me some? A double Henry'll do.)

Poppy · Post by **Poppy** » 25 Jul 2006, 18:47

I heard the gulls at RoS too but was far too dedicated to my work to lift my head to see what was going on!! Heh heh!

We saw a gi-normus buzzie at Craigmillar Castle on Sunday though.

Cleopas · Post by **Cleopas** » 25 Jul 2006, 18:59

Sparrowhawks used to be common in the East of Edinburgh. The falcon, hawk and merlin are not common but are regular vistors to the area.

ali · Post by **ali** » 25 Jul 2006, 19:42

Cleopas wrote:Sparrowhawks used to be common in the East of Edinburgh. The falcon, hawk and merlin are not common but are regular vistors to the area.

yeah. like i said there were sparrowhawks and kestrels on the roof of meadowbank house at one time, we used to watch them hunt, hovering above the railway line.

but once "the management" had decided to rent out roofspace for mobile phone transmitters, well.........................

had a look on a birdwatchers site this afternoon and a couple of us at work are pretty sure it was a buzzard.

it looked magnificent as it cruised around amongst the gulls.

from below its wing profile looked just like one of those birds on the top of a totem pole.

teddygirl · Post by **teddygirl** » 25 Jul 2006, 20:16

I'm pretty sure it would have been a buzzard, they are fairly common around here, usually see them near the bypass (saw one this afternoon actually)

Speaking of eagles though, we were lucky enough to see both Sea Eagles and Golden Eagles when on Skye and Harris a couple of weeks ago. They were awesome. The Sea Eagles have an 8ft wing span,even bigger than the Golden Eagles. Have some photies, will try and post one.

teddygirl · Post by **teddygirl** » 25 Jul 2006, 20:21

Sea Eagle with it's catch.

teddygirl · Post by **teddygirl** » 25 Jul 2006, 20:24

Sea Eagle again.

Poppy · Post by **Poppy** » 25 Jul 2006, 21:28

Lucky you, TG, seeing the Big Boy(s) in action. Great photos too!

Bob Jefferson · Post by **Bob Jefferson** » 25 Jul 2006, 21:31

Great pics. I took the kids to the zoo today and we saw sea eagles there. They are huge! Sunday was a trip to Inchcolm island where we were attacked by seagulls, or maybe they were fulmars?

One of these things anyway:-

ali · Post by **ali** » 25 Jul 2006, 21:36

excellent pics.

the pic below is just as we saw it except we couldn't see the white on its underside against the bright sky.

http://www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/bird-guide/buzzard.htm

Cleopas · Post by **Cleopas** » 25 Jul 2006, 21:38

I saw 7 nuns taking the sun, outside the RSA at the foot of the Mound today. Do they qualify as Birds of Pray???

*walks away whistling!*

CatzVP · Post by **CatzVP** » 25 Jul 2006, 22:00

Poppy wrote:I heard the gulls at RoS too but was far too dedicated to my work to lift my head to see what was going on!!.

teddygirl · Post by **teddygirl** » 25 Jul 2006, 22:32

We've done the Inchcolm Island trip too and were attacked by those same birds, it was pretty scary at times. Worth it though, as it was a great day out,lots of seals and puffins around.

Poppy · Post by **Poppy** » 25 Jul 2006, 22:39

CatzVP wrote:
Poppy wrote:I heard the gulls at RoS too but was far too dedicated to my work to lift my head to see what was going on!!.

Ha ha!! Welcome back, dear

Am annoyed now that I did not gawp out the window like Ali, but at the time I just thought it was gulls squawking over some chips or something!!

Zargonian · Post by **Zargonian** » 26 Jul 2006, 10:35

In my office, whilst looking out the window. There was the usual yacking of seagulls / pigeons. Then "boom" a mass of feather flutters down to the car park below.

Then the hollowed out remains of a seagull was found in the car park.

The following morning, as I stumbled into work there was a rather large bird of prey ripping at yet another seagull, right outside the front door of the office. I walked up the bird, it carried on.

I tried to take a picture, but was shaking too much from the night before, or was that in fear?

Don't know what kind of bird it was, but it was lovely creature.

Looking forward to seeing it again.....

It is funny that all the pigeons and seagulls near my office are now wearing sunglasses.