Noisy bird... not what you think

[Stay Frosty]

Anyone have an idea what bird of prey this was on next doors chimney earlier.
I was out in the back garden and heard a loud chattering as the bird appeared to have aborted a charge into I guess some garden birds and turned the charge into an untidy landing onto the chimney.
It sat there for probably two minutes, certainly long enough for me to get my phone from indoors and dash off a few quality stills
Looked at the phone to check the pictures which are pretty bad but I reckon, well Google does, that it might be a juvenile female Peregrine rather than Sparrowhawk, the eyes were definitely black rather than yellow and the bird was really vocal just before it landed... might have been swearing?
Having added the pictures now it definitely was bigger than a Kestrel by a lump and not a Buzzard or Kite both of which are common here probably due to the allotments opposite.

 

[The Flying Scotsman]

My guess would be female sparrow hawk.
Here’s a male I spotted on my neighbours roof. It was hiding behind the stack watching the spuggies (sparrows for you southerners)

 

[TeeCeeJay]

100% Kestrel.

Bars / stripes on the chest are going the wrong way for Sparrow Hawk. Moustache not clear enough for Peregrine. Nothing else has that chestnut colour on the back

 

[gilesjuk]

I tend to see more buzzards around here than other birds of prey. You see them circling about high in the sky.

 

[Noddy996]

Yep, female kestrel.

 

[sparkzer]

Check out the app - Merlin Bird ID. My parents were hearing a bird song they were not familiar with at dawn most mornings, but couldnt see the bird. That app allows you to upload audio or images and it identified the bird. It identified the birdsong perfectly, gave info about their bird, examples of similar birdsong and pictures etc...most interesting.

As a test, I just took a photo of my PC screen of your bird, dispite the quality/reflections etc it also itentified it as a kestrel (Eurasian Kestrel to be exact).

 

[Stay Frosty]

Cheers for the thoughts team but this bird definitely seemed chunkier than a Kestrel Garry and there was no yellow around the eyes.
When it initially caught my attention it looked like it had just skidded to a halt by the Laburnham tree with the wings and tail flared as it regrouped and flew the 20ft or so up to the chimney.
I really wanted it to be a juvenile Peregrine as there is an adult one that flies across here regularly although that one is always high up with a distinctive curved wing outline and quite vocal.
I'm going to have to get a better camera/phone at this rate.

 

[Ali-G]

Check out the app - Merlin Bird ID.

+1, great app, been using it for a while now.

 

[sparkzer]

Cheers for the thoughts team but this bird definitely seemed chunkier than a Kestrel Garry and there was no yellow around the eyes.

This is what the app told me...also an example photo which looks pretty similar.

 

[Howzat]

Well this is a bit surreal. I started reading A Kestrel for Knave (Kes) yesterday after first reading it at school some 40 odd years ago then this post pops up.
According to Casper the young 'uns are a bit plump after leaving the nest and the fact it failed to catch it's prey may be testament to that.

 

[Bigsidavies]

Kestrel.

 

[Cuffy]

Eeee! That's proper bo that is!

 

[Stay Frosty]

I think that second picture looks to be pretty similar Garry and the sound the bird made plus looking a bit lost when it sat on the chimney means it was probably as the team think and a young Kestrel.
I'm a bit disappointed as Kestrels are pretty common throughout Northamptonshire and it being a young Whitetail Eagle was never really on the cards but one of the things that has improved in this more tolerant and connected age we live in and that is the amount of Kites, Buzzards and Barn Owls that can be spotted daily, when I was a kid it would have been Kestrels only.

 

[Bigsidavies]

barn owls are struggling for food and so they are becoming more common in daylight hours now.