Maximus(RIP) was the best Sunderland AFC fan birder. His knowledge was up there with the very very best. I thought i was good till i compared myself to Maximus Lad. He'd been all over the UK(including Scottish Islands) birding. I was happy to admit he was on another level to me and it was great when i tried to trick him with a quiz question and he pissed all over my chips every time. There were a few times when he had the answer before i'd finalised the f*cking question. As for the bird of prey mentioned.....Everything points to it being a sparrowhawk(probably a female which are approx 1/3rd larger than males). That said, there was a Peregrine Falcon living on the church at Barclay Street(opposite Deaf Club/Demi) for around 9 months. It was there most of the day every day but usually perched around the back. Occasionally it would perch on one of the sides or front but this was entirely down to wind direction as they prefer to be out of a direct breeze. I talked to Maximus (Steve) many times about this Peregrine. It hasn't been there for a while now so might have been shot. There is a Peregrine that gets around the cranes at Lieber. I'm told one gets spotted at the church on Stockton Road but i can't confirm that one personally although i suppose the people who mentioned it have no reason to lie. As i think someone mentioned, there has definitely been a pair of Peregrines which nested in South Tyneside this year, and previous years too. The fledglings from this brood will generally spread out so it would be no surprise if one or two started to appear in Sunderland. I suspect the Barclay Street bird may be one of these from earlier broods.They aren't usually garden hunters though and usually keep high in flight and roosting rather than laying low on fences etc.
