UKC

Watched three swallows this morning - don’t blame them for staying in sunny-ish Wigan at the moment. Then saw a sparrowhawk pluck a starling out of the sky. 

Last weekend, went into the front (empty) bedroom, looked out the window at nothing in particular, suddenly a sparrowhawk flew down the line of houses at about 6-8 foot height (so below me) and maybe 3-5 feet away from the houses (could tell by the bush/tree it flew behind) - all over in a few seconds - I was quite stunned.

Left me wondering how often things like that happen with nobody noticing (lots obviously).

Quite frequently I think. Have seen them take a collared dove, starling and sparrow from our hedged garden. Like you say, it's all over very quickly.

As Queenie says, happens a lot. Once you get your eye in, sparrowhawk sightings like yours become more common. This free get a second glimpse of one speeding between houses, over hedges. Amazing birds b

Loads of pink feet flying over this morning. The first skein I didn’t get my phone out in time, the second skein is about 100 (photo below), so estimate first skein was about 300, and a few of a couple dozen each. 

Impressive aren't they? Maybe because I'm working from home and have more opportunity to see them, but they seem to be huge flocks this year.

I regularly have sparrow hawks through my garden. They are so quick, agile and quiet. More noticeable to see one if it decides to stop for a look around or if it catches something. At least three catches of small birds this year I’ve seen, about 5 fly straight through, and had 1 stop and look around!
There is a regular line they take through my garden and last year one actually flew within 3 feet of me sitting. Not bothered by me at all as it even stopped momentarily on the fence and had a look around.

Recently this year, I was siting in the garden with two friends chatting and the first I knew that a sparrow hawk had taken a house sparrow was when it was taking off with it from behind plants at the foot of a wooden fence. Never heard or saw it catch and land with it, but it struggle to liftoff with being next to the fence and the plant foliage. 

Not sure what to google and so far failed to identify this. Anyone know about sea creatures?
 

Can across this a couple of weeks ago on the Firth of Forth sands at an exceptional low tide near the waterline. There was a hole next to it as if it had been under the sand surface at some point. Without handling it seemed still alive and seemed to be have prickly spikes all over its body but not on underside.

We are buzzard-city round here. Sometimes I wonder how so many survive.

Never seen one pluck anything though. 

Can't really make that out. Some form of Bristleworm probably.

Might be a sea mouse, covered in sand? If you could rinse it off, it would look beautifully iridescent.

Many thanks.
A google of sea mouse shows that’s probably what it was. Kind of wished I had put it back into the sea to wash sand off but my norm when exploring is just to observe and not touch. The spines looked off putting to me anyway!

Was densely covered in sand, and given the hole next to it I wondered if a gull had pulled it out and abandoned. It was about 12 cm long and about 5 cm in diameter. Tide was coming in fast so wouldn’t have been out of water for more than 30 minutes in total, so I’m guessing survived ok

Interesting as never seen anything like it.

Buzzards eat more worms than folk think.  I noticed a kestrel the other year, watched it most mornings, sitting up a tree and spying/eating worms.  Lots of calories, little effort.  Posted a photo on here of a kestrel eating beetles, which they can see 50 metres away!  Again, economically easy pickings.

I've watched buzzards walking over a newly ploughed field - just like gulls do.

Here on't North Yorkshire coast there's been swallows every day  at one rather prominent cliff top feature, and yesterday 6 October, there were about 10 swallows and 3 or 4 house martins around. For housemartins I think thats particularly late.