Falcon in Walsall West Midlands (2 Viewers)

[The Moore-hen]

Count the heads in the morning before answering that one.....

That might be trickier than you think...what with most of the residents having two heads...and don't even consider trying to count fingers n toes!!

 

[Farnboro John]

There are two American Kestrels on the British List and in my opinion neither of them belong there. Both are from mid-summer, not a great time for North American vagrancy. Ripe for a review I'd say.

Also the old Birding World article on hybrid falcons that listed one year's escaped licensed BoP included not only 19 Sakers and 60 Goshawks but 6 American Kestrels.

John

 

[Jane Turner]

How many other escaped ones have there been?

 

[black52bird]

The Walsall American Kestrel

Dear All

Thank you kindly for all your comments, and the confirmation of my original ID as American Kestrel (which I have seen once in Chile and once in Brazil).

I never for once imagined that it was a wild bird. Although, as one of you pointed out, the nearby Chasewater has long been famous for turning up rare birds in the area. (I was a long-time member of the West Midlands Bird Club in my Walsall youth, and regularly went there.) I expected it was an escape, but to answer someone else's question - no, there were no signs of jesses, rings or other captive bird "markers" that I could see.

The Chuckery was always an area of pigeon fanciers in my childhood in the 1950s and 60s, rather than exotic falcon breeders, but interesting what someone else said about birds and chicks being easy to buy on the internet, which makes the provenance even more obvious...an escape.

Oh, and to put the civil and social records straight, Walsall is part of the Black Country, and is separated from Birmingham by 9 miles. And the M6 too, these days. The two areas should never be spoken of in the same breath (despite the late Mrs Thatcher's kind inclusion of both into the 'West Midlands'), for fear of offending the inhabitants of both areas.........!!

Thanks very much for the discussion, following this unusual sighting.

Best wishes
David

 

[hughie king]

The only Kestrels usually found in that area are the empty cans of super strength lager.
Does anyone know if captive birds are flown in the nearby arboretum?
it's still a nice bird to see even if it is an escape.
Nice one David and well done for pointing out the correct geographical reference.

Hughie King

 

[black52bird]

The only Kestrels usually found in that area are the empty cans of super strength lager.
Does anyone know if captive birds are flown in the nearby arboretum?
it's still a nice bird to see even if it is an escape.
Nice one David and well done for pointing out the correct geographical reference.

Hughie King

That's an interesting point, Hughie - about the Arboretum, because I had meant to say in the last post that if it were a genuine wild bird I would have expected it to have been in the famous and wild end of the nearby Walsall Arboretum (where incidentally, I did my first regular birding, once recording the earliest Common Redstart in the West Midlands in the mid-60s!!!) - rather than in a small patch of trees in the middle of mass terraced housing.

Don't know about falcon flying demonstrations there - although it's the kind of thing they might do....but I would suspect a breeder/aviary keeper in the Chuckery is a more probable source.

Best wishes
David

 

[jpoyner]

You're probably right......but the first European record of Lesser Scaup was at Chasewater, five miles from Walsall.........and less of the Birmingham, please 8-P

Well I am a born and bred Black Country lad.....

 

[UW82]

Nothing wrong with Birmingham............apart from Brummies and escaped American Kestrels

Laurie:t:

Typical Black Country response.


Des.

 

[black52bird]

Typical Black Country response.


Des.

None of this, please, friends.
No trading of local rivalries on a thread I
started.
Thanks
David

 

[Neil Bostock]

Looks like ssp dominicencis to me

 

[black52bird]

Looks like ssp dominicencis to me

That looks like a good call, Neil
- generally a rustier chest than other ssp.
Thanks
David

 

[Cinereous]

It's definitely an American Kestrel... no doubt whatsoever.. I have experience with these birds.. Probably the most consistently beautiful species of Kestrel... although a good Seychelles Kestrel takes some beating...

 

[Cinereous]

Should be easy there are only about 15-17 sub species. I'd go for one of the Caribbean ones, perhaps dark morph "sparveriodes" for a start.

Yes Tony, but Birdlife International and IUCN Red List only recognises one species and consider these sub-species as mere variations of the original type.. After saying that they only recognise 2 species of Peregrine...