Recently as I was chatting to Kobus outside my favourite breakfast venue, River Manor, a couple of pigeons came racing out of an old oak tree, they caught my eye because pigeons are not the most energetic birds and I thought it rather strange.
As they disappeared a large shadow passed and silently came to rest in a branch near to where I was standing. Focusing my eyes on the dark shape I realised I was looking at an aerial predator, a strange looking grey bird with a bright yellow face.
Having not had any coffee yet I was startled by the sheer size of this creature that had been terrorising the birds of my neighbourhood, how could a predator of this size go unnoticed and unchecked in the suburbs, were my dogs safe, my cat often climbs into trees, this creature seemed almost to be looking at me with a predatory stare, I stood my ground with it and then moved off.
In the safety of the gardens at River Manor, two cappuccinos and half an eggs Benedict under the hood, I Googled the creature, discovering it was in fact an awesome predator, a lethal killer, a vicious attacker, ... of small birds. It is a specialist hunter of young in the nest, my encounter had probably been after it had tried to steal the pigeon chicks, maybe I had even saved them from a certain fate.
But here's the really important bit, the presence of such a predator in an urban area is an important sign, it tells you the food chain is alive and well, the habitat is healthy and able to support a top end predator like a gymnogene, this is good for everybody.
Amazing what the streets can tell you if you look. I still try and keep my cat out of the trees