Who Is This Little Guy?

[Eve]

I spotted this little guy looking at me earlier.

Couldn't get close enough to get a decent zoomed in shot on my phone so it's a bit of a rubbish photo I'm afraid. In the three just to the lower left of the middle.

http://tinypic.com/r/eja1io/5

A longer plumper bodied bird with brown speckled feathers on the front and darker brown wings.

It looked almost owl like, the tiny head and the way it just kept looking slowly from side to front to side or maybe, with it being daylight and near a city a young bird of prey, there have been kestrels nesting in the city centre though you can hear them a mile off and tend to stay up high.

I was watching him for about 10 minutes then he flew off, quite a large wingspan, looked maybe more bird of prey like then, though not a huge bird.

[woofgang]

there are little owls near me (south) it might be a little owl from what I can see.

[woofgang]

d'oh!!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Little_Owl

[Robinia]

I agree with woofy, it's very unclear but probably an owl.

[hc4361]

My first thought was little owl.

[Eve]

Ahh I think it was from the pictures, thank you, I was quite fascinated watching it watching me haha! Will have to look out for glinting eyes at night. There are some bats though, fascinating to watch flying round and round in (large) circuits and they come quite low too.

I tried to get a little closer (was still a fair way away so it didn't feel threatened) but it flew off.

Wow, makes a nice change from magpies and pigeons and the odd random escapee parakeet :)

[plowter]

Can't see the head or legs.
If it's not owl-shaped and had a long tail when it flew off then it could be a young sparrowhawk.

[Tilly2]

think it's a kestrel or a sparrowhawk. Little owls are really tiny and round.

[Eve]

I had a google and it looked similar this this imagine which is of a sparrowhawk, longer body and teeny tiny little head on top.

http://www.steveadams-place.co.uk/images/wild_birds/sparrow_hawk.jpg

[boxtops]

The head of it looks like an owl to me.

[237SJ]

To me, that looks like a Sparrowhawk

[Chipchopper]

To me, it looks like it could be a Hawfinch or possibly a Mistlethrush.

[rowanwitch]

on colour alone I would say juvenile sparrowhawk the eye rings make the eyes look quite big Too big for a little owl.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoHOUHxUuTc

[rowanwitch]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/63107320@N02/6079996650/

better picture of juv female