Felix Nobes 8th May,
2019 Updated: 8th May, 2019
A RARE Harris Hawk suspected to
have escaped captivity has been pictured in a Solihull resident’s garden.
Stephen Parrack from Olton took a
picture of the imposing bird – which is native to the US and South America – on
Saturday (May 4).
The photo shows the ‘at-large’
hawk – with distinctive brown markings and impressive talons – perched on his
garden fence.
It also appears to have a thin
leather strap around its leg which could be used by a falconer to tether the
bird.
The Royal Society for the
Protection of Birds (RSPB) has confirmed to us that the bird in the photo is a
Harris Hawk.
Mr Parrack says he and his wife
Janis are keen birdwatchers and often feed birds in the back garden.
The Warwick Road resident says he
even tried to catch the hawk with thick gloves and some meat so he could take
it back to its owner.
He said: “It is obviously an
escapee as these are not native to the UK and as can be seen by the jesses and
bell on its legs – but an interesting spot for ‘birders’ to see.
“At first I thought it was a
young golden eagle or a buzzard.
“It was a good 18 inches high,
with a wingspan of easily a metre.
“It had lovely markings on it, a
lovely white rump and bars on its tail – with this reddy brown colouration to
its wings.
“It had a heck of a beak on it
and fantastic looking talons.
“It feasted on some wood pigeons.
I didn’t see it attack any other birds but it was sitting on a dead pigeon.”
It is a crime to release the
birds deliberately in the UK as they pose a risk to other birds and wildlife –
even cats.
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