Red-footed Falcon
Shoreham-by-Sea has been blessed with its own local rarity causing a stir this week, a Red-footed Falcon on the beautiful South Downs.
These birds are normally not present in the UK. We have previously seen them on holiday in Greece, where we had the astonishing sight of eight birds sitting in one tree! However, there has been a bit of an influx to southern England in recent weeks.
This bird was actually first reported by a non-birder, who posted a picture on a local Facebook group asking if it was a Sparrowhawk. Fortunately it was seen by others with some expertise who spent the day trying to get further information about its location.
The following day, many birders were out early searching and two different birds were located in the area, one at Portslade which did not linger beyond that day, and another above Shoreham at Beeding Hill. The news was quickly shared and we trekked up to see it, a new UK tick for us. Tim managed the following shots:
Note the vibrant red feet which give the bird its name! It was reported on Tuesday 9th June and is still present today, although it can disappear for significant amounts of time between sightings. At one point it was hovering alongside a kestrel, allowing a good comparison, slightly smaller in size and slate grey above. It also seemed to stay on the ground for longer than the kestrel when catching prey - it feeds on beetles and lizards. It also spent quite a bit of time perched on the ground, sheltered from the wind, as was the case when Andy came to view it on Saturday!
The plumage is a little unusual, especially the collar around the neck but it is believed to be a young male. A great bird!
These birds are normally not present in the UK. We have previously seen them on holiday in Greece, where we had the astonishing sight of eight birds sitting in one tree! However, there has been a bit of an influx to southern England in recent weeks.
This bird was actually first reported by a non-birder, who posted a picture on a local Facebook group asking if it was a Sparrowhawk. Fortunately it was seen by others with some expertise who spent the day trying to get further information about its location.
The following day, many birders were out early searching and two different birds were located in the area, one at Portslade which did not linger beyond that day, and another above Shoreham at Beeding Hill. The news was quickly shared and we trekked up to see it, a new UK tick for us. Tim managed the following shots:
Note the vibrant red feet which give the bird its name! It was reported on Tuesday 9th June and is still present today, although it can disappear for significant amounts of time between sightings. At one point it was hovering alongside a kestrel, allowing a good comparison, slightly smaller in size and slate grey above. It also seemed to stay on the ground for longer than the kestrel when catching prey - it feeds on beetles and lizards. It also spent quite a bit of time perched on the ground, sheltered from the wind, as was the case when Andy came to view it on Saturday!
The plumage is a little unusual, especially the collar around the neck but it is believed to be a young male. A great bird!
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