I just looked out of my window in Manchester city centre and there was largish bird (bigger than a pigeon*) with sort of red** plumage. My Mrs thinks it was a sparrow hawk. That seems a tad…exotic for the city centre no? I thought it was Kes.

*take from my point of reference I know nothing of ornithology
** I’m desperately colour blind

Baby robin probably

and it was just very close

Miranda?

The ol’ up close small thing? Nah, it was out of the window walking along the floor. I suppose it could have been Geordie Racer with a paint job…on ‘roids.

Just realised my life is like a shit Rear Window production. FFS.

Are there lots of well-fed pigeons and sparrows to attract predators? Sparrowhawks nest on tall buildings in cities where they are rewarded with their own webcams.

Forked tail and very agile in the air = red kite, but unlikely.

Are there lots of well-fed pigeons and sparrows to attract predators?

Loads. The bounty of supply is such that I swear I see some pigeons pick the salad out of the left over kebabs.

It was just walking along to be honest. It looked like it had a grey head though?

with sort of red** plumage

Did it look angry at all??

red you say? don’t think it would have been a sparrowhawk…

a Sparrowhawk

perhaps one of these?

a Jay
Member of the Crow family so about the size of a small crow

Kes more likely to be seen hovering above the hard shoulder of the M60 than in town, I would’ve thought.
and I wouldn’t expect to see a Jay in town either, more of a woodland bird (although I have seen one in my garden this summer)

A familiar sight with its pointed wings and long tail, hovering beside a roadside verge. Numbers of kestrels declined in the 1970s, probably as a result of changes in farming and so it is included on the Amber List. They have adapted readily to man-made environments and can survive right in the centre of cities

Ar Kes is a versatile bird.

Red Kite that followed me up the M6 on Monday?

I meant the actual Kes from the motion picture.

Don’t think it was a jay, it didn’t have that funny pattern on its head.

I meant the actual Kes from the motion picture.

I’m pretty sure it’s dead now even in real life.

I’m pretty sure it’s dead now even in real life.

Take that back.

Convinced it’s a kestrel; it looks just like the ‘proper bo’ picture above

Most likely a sparrowhawk or maybe a kestrel in city centre. Jay unlikely in city centre, they’re more garden birds. DOn’t thin the kites have made it quite that far, we’ve seen them round ladybower and heard reports of them out towards Romiley (south east of manchester) Might be a peregrine, they do like tall buildings – I know there are peregrines in Bolton (town hall I think) and I’ve heard of some in Stockport, so wouldn;’t surprise me to have some in That Manchester – they’re more Grey than red (unless they’re covered in blood having ripped somehting apart 🙂 )

Was it Brian Glover?

I’ve actually seen a kingfisher sat on a wall behind Piccadilly station. And normally all the things you see round there are unspeakable