Skylark v Falcon

[snarling bee]

Whilst combining a large field of spring wheat last week, I watched in awe and horror as a falcon caught 2 skylarks almost in flight. The aerobatic display was incredible, but the stubble offered no protection for the prey, unlike the standing crop. The small birds were too far from the environmental plots each end of the field which would have provided cover.
We do have quite a few skylarks without having any deliberate skylark plots. I think we have plenty of accidental ones though.

 

[Hindsight]

Whilst combining a large field of spring wheat last week, I watched in awe and horror as a falcon caught 2 skylarks almost in flight. The aerobatic display was incredible, but the stubble offered no protection for the prey, unlike the standing crop. The small birds were too far from the environmental plots each end of the field which would have provided cover.
We do have quite a few skylarks without having any deliberate skylark plots. I think we have plenty of accidental ones though.

The brutality and reality of the natural world. Fascinating.

 

[clbarclay]

Every living thing is ultimately food to another.

 

[Dry Rot]

Whilst combining a large field of spring wheat last week, I watched in awe and horror as a falcon caught 2 skylarks almost in flight. The aerobatic display was incredible, but the stubble offered no protection for the prey, unlike the standing crop. The small birds were too far from the environmental plots each end of the field which would have provided cover.
We do have quite a few skylarks without having any deliberate skylark plots. I think we have plenty of accidental ones though.

That is amazing. Do you know what species of falcon this was? For a bird of prey to catch one sky lark would be quite an achievement, but to catch two in succession is truly remarkable.

I have trained and flown falcons all my life and have flown a few merlins. So far as I am aware, the merlin, our smallest falcon, is the only one capable of regularly catching sky larks and the flight of a merlin after a sky lark is one of Nature's spectacles. The trained merlin only has a chance of catching a lark when they are in moult and slightly flight impaired. The lark goes up, vertically, like a helicopter while the merlin can only follow by making wide circles. The pair ascend, sometimes until almost out of sight, when the lark will drop like a stone towards some piece of cover below. The merlin follows, but not before driving upwards with powerful wing beats to gain a little more height, then drives down in a near vertical stoop. The lark has a very tight turning circle and can evade that stoop by literally a flick of it's wings while the little falcon goes whizzing past. It must be like trying to run over a rabbit with a motorbike! Then the ringing flight starts all over again. The persuit continues until one gives up.

Falconers have to get a licence to fly a merlin at sky larks these days and that will usually be limited to a bag of perhaps 20 larks a year, so there' not much danger to the environment. I got my first merlin at the age of 14 at a time when they were not protected and regularly killed by gamekeepers. The man who rescued them used to send them to falconers, 25/- (that's £1.25), carriage paid to the nearest railway station! An aviary bred merlin would cost you about £1,000 these days! That was 66 years ago and I can still vividly remember some flights. Nothing brutal about.

 

[Lazy Sod]

A hobby will take a swallow in flight so a skylark would be an easy meal.

 

[wanton dwarf]

Whilst combining a large field of spring wheat last week, I watched in awe and horror as a falcon caught 2 skylarks almost in flight. The aerobatic display was incredible, but the stubble offered no protection for the prey, unlike the standing crop. The small birds were too far from the environmental plots each end of the field which would have provided cover.
We do have quite a few skylarks without having any deliberate skylark plots. I think we have plenty of accidental ones though.

Just seen a Buzzard attempting to attack a baby Hare - what I call a bum shuffler - a bit of decerning Combine driving altered events.

 

[Dry Rot]

A hobby will take a swallow in flight so a skylark would be an easy meal.

You'e a lucky fellow. I've never seen that. Come to that, I don't think I've ever seen a hobby.

 

[snarling bee]

I'm no bird expert and it happened probably 100 m away, and I was driving a combine, admittedly on autosteer.
The wings were very narrow and almost pointed, dark brown in colour, thats about all I can tell you.

 

[snarling bee]

Just seen a Buzzard attempting to attack a baby Hare - what I call a bum shuffler - a bit of decerning Combine driving altered events.

My corn cart driver a couple of years ago saw a buzzard catch a running rat near the combine.
We have less buzzards now and more red kites.

 

[Homesy]

I had a bunch of Yellowhammers hanging around my yard a couple of years ago. A guy called who was into bird spotting said he had never seen so many in one place. One day a sparrowhawk turned up and took the lot over a couple of days
Both incredible and horrifying watch. Nature is cruel.

 

[Raider112]

I had a bunch of Yellowhammers hanging around my yard a couple of years ago. A guy called who was into bird spotting said he had never seen so many in one place. One day a sparrowhawk turned up and took the lot over a couple of days
Both incredible and horrifying watch. Nature is cruel.

40 years ago I used to love to see birds of prey, there's just too many now with less prey to feed on so I'm less keen now. A couple of months ago a sparrow hawk was picking off the swallows and House Martins, I thought they were going to struggle to breed at all but it seems to have disappeared, maybe feeding young at the time.

 

[Danllan]

The brutality and reality of the natural world. Fascinating.

See below...

Every living thing is ultimately food to another.

It passes a lot of people by that, in nature, a large percentage of creatures end up being eaten alive...

That is amazing. Do you know what species of falcon this was? For a bird of prey to catch one sky lark would be quite an achievement, but to catch two in succession is truly remarkable.

I have trained and flown falcons all my life and have flown a few merlins. So far as I am aware, the merlin, our smallest falcon, is the only one capable of regularly catching sky larks and the flight of a merlin after a sky lark is one of Nature's spectacles...

I occasionally see the merlins around here hunting, skylarks and other small birds too.

 

[Dry Rot]

I'm no bird expert and it happened probably 100 m away, and I was driving a combine, admittedly on autosteer.
The wings were very narrow and almost pointed, dark brown in colour, thats about all I can tell you.

Merlins are really birds of the open moorland but they do migrate and do come down to the low ground after the summer.

The ringing flight at a lark really is spectacular. I took out a friend who had never seen falconry before and he was literally screaming with excitement to see the flight.

Of course, newly fledged larks and pipits would be fair game for a few species of bird of prey once the cover of a crop is removed. So I would not rule anything out. I used to see merlins here occasionally (east of Scotland at sea level) but haven't seen one for years which is a bit sad.

 

[spin cycle]

i hate raptors that take small birds

 

[Kidds]

I've watched what I assumed were sparrowhawks catching swallows. The chatter of the swallows being chased was what drew my attention.

 

[fgc325j]

That is amazing. Do you know what species of falcon this was? For a bird of prey to catch one sky lark would be quite an achievement, but to catch two in succession is truly remarkable.

I have trained and flown falcons all my life and have flown a few merlins. So far as I am aware, the merlin, our smallest falcon, is the only one capable of regularly catching sky larks and the flight of a merlin after a sky lark is one of Nature's spectacles. The trained merlin only has a chance of catching a lark when they are in moult and slightly flight impaired. The lark goes up, vertically, like a helicopter while the merlin can only follow by making wide circles. The pair ascend, sometimes until almost out of sight, when the lark will drop like a stone towards some piece of cover below. The merlin follows, but not before driving upwards with powerful wing beats to gain a little more height, then drives down in a near vertical stoop. The lark has a very tight turning circle and can evade that stoop by literally a flick of it's wings while the little falcon goes whizzing past. It must be like trying to run over a rabbit with a motorbike! Then the ringing flight starts all over again. The persuit continues until one gives up.

Falconers have to get a licence to fly a merlin at sky larks these days and that will usually be limited to a bag of perhaps 20 larks a year, so there' not much danger to the environment. I got my first merlin at the age of 14 at a time when they were not protected and regularly killed by gamekeepers. The man who rescued them used to send them to falconers, 25/- (that's £1.25), carriage paid to the nearest railway station! An aviary bred merlin would cost you about £1,000 these days! That was 66 years ago and I can still vividly remember some flights. Nothing brutal about.

I saw a programme about Peregrine falcons, on the Beeb - it stated that when they dive at their prey, they reach 200 mph - AMAZING!!!

 

[Dry Rot]

I saw a programme about Peregrine falcons, on the Beeb - it stated that when they dive at their prey, they reach 200 mph - AMAZING!!!

And young peregrines that haven't yet mastered their skills will sometimes forget to stop! Had that happen to one of mine a couple of times, but no harm done. I have seen a grouse almost cut in half by a peregrine. They come down at some speed.

 

[Dry Rot]

I've watched what I assumed were sparrowhawks catching swallows. The chatter of the swallows being chased was what drew my attention.

Catching or trying to catch? Young sparrowhawks have more courage than sense. In the wild, they regularly catch woodpigeons until they learn there is easier quarry. I was tappng a hedge down trying to put up something for my first sparrowhawk to chase. A black bird flew out and at the same time a rabbit flushed. The little hawk (8oz?) went after the rabbit (2lbs?) -- but didn't catch it. Still, you've got to admire the courage.

 

[Kidds]

Catching or trying to catch?

Catching

 

[JSmith]

Everything has to eat I appreciate that it’s the natural way of things but the amount of birds of prey we have now is out of all proportion and the so called experts wonder where all the song birds, leverets, grey partridge etc have gone! It’s not rocket science without control everything gets out of hand!! If you here a expert tsk about buzzards they only eat worms an carrion, two years ago one cleared up two clutches of chickens in a week off the yard witnessed by me on several occasions!!