two rare birds die (scotland)press release

[kawwauser]

here is a link to todays local paper,
the first one (red rumped swallow) was only 13 miles from my usual haunt ,great i thought ill get a pic that nobody from the uk has posted on potn, then came the news a sparrowhawk has taken it, at first i though t maybe the sparrowhawk dropped it while trying to catch it (it does happen) then ten mins later the word got around, dont bother its gone :cry:
http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2006/11/14/newsstory8963283t0.asp

[Anthony J Howe]

I can just imagine the birdwatchers were completely gutted to see such a rare visiter to their area and be carried off by the sparrowhawk. A rare find by the birdwatchers up there in Tayside and it would have been wonderful for those who saw it, but that's nature for you.

[dewmuw]

I heard about that on the radio. Same sort of thing happened here a few years back with a white throated sparrow and a cat.

[canonloader]

“We were horrified,” said Mike Sawyer of the Dundee RSPB. “We had just phoned local birdwatchers to tell them of this rare occurrence and then had to ring them back to tell them it had been eaten.”
Get a grip people. Missing a rare occurrence is not the same as losing a rare bird. It's like saying the Double Billed Raptor Duck is extinct, in Wisconsin, while it still flourishes in downtown Miami. :D

While they did get to see a rare site of the Sparrowhawk making it's kill, that went right over their heads.

[kawwauser]

the said bird has not been seen here in 20 years, the last time it was seen there was no internet /mobile phones, so it was down to induividual birders ,
rareties is not about actualy being rare its about regions, one bird common to some areas may be very sought after by others,this bird caused a lot of people to take days off work and many travelled from england just for a glimpse of it, i never got to within 10 mile of it but as you said i would have been happy with a sparrowhawk pic , maybe next time