My wife sent me this picture of a 'passenger' she had hitching a ride on the door mirror! Apparently it stayed on the mirror as she pulled off the drive but then she reversed back onto the drive, got out, lifted it off the door mirror and put it back in the garden at the side! It was a very young (and heavy!) Wood Pigeon!!

Click image to enlarge

Wow, that's a good picture. Usually with things like that you fumble to find your phone or camera by which time its to late! Good work.

PaulTyrer wrote:

It was a very young (and heavy!) Wood Pigeon!!

About right for the pan then. Pigeon breast lightly fried in red wine served with crispy salad. Om nom nom nom.

We used to have loads of the things around here but recently a chap moved in to the village and he flies Harris Hawks and I think he also has a Kestrel. Strangely a lot of the local pigeons have toddled off now, can't think why. Still plenty of songbirds around though which is nice.

Mentioning Harris Hawks reminds me of a day I spent at the Hawk Conservancy in Andover a couple of years back (got to fly Hawks, Owls and Eagles! - Well worth a visit!). Anyway, they told us of a visit they had by the RSPCA one time. They do displays with Harris Hawks, usually the Pigeons disappear into the trees while the displays are on, anyway, this Pigeon decided to fly out and have a look, and got demolished by a Hawk right in front of the RSPCA people!!