Counts and catching of birds of prey
14.01.2009 we visited the urban junkyard of Kyiv, located in Obukhov district near the village of Krenychi. There we carried out counts and catching of birds of prey. It was recorded a concentration of Corvidae (Jackdaw, Rook), about 3,000 individuals in a total. Apart from these species, the junkyard is a feeding place for the Yellow-legged Gulls – 150 birds, crows – 80, Rock Doves – 60, Starlings – 20, Tree Sparrows – 300.
Among birds of prey there were recorded the Buzzard -12 individuals, Goshawk – 3-4, Sparrowhawk -2, Black Kite -1. The Black Kite was recorded on wintering in Kyiv region for the first time!
We observed many hunting attempts of a Goshawk for Corvidae, but on a decoy pigeon these raptors do not react. They hunt high in the sky, driving bird flocks to the height up to 250 m. We also see a hunting for a Rook: an adult male chased its prey till tops of the trees and successfully grabbed it there. Four Buzzards were caught and ringed.
Sergey Domashevsky
Map: A place of the first winter registration of the Black Kite