Urban Peregrine

Couldn't get into the pilates class this morning so we walked up to the local shops for some bread instead to take advantage of the bright sunshine. There was a heavy frost and the fallen leaves were sparkling in the sun.

After lunch we decided to walk to one of the sports shops on the edge of town via the river and canal. As we crossed the canal, I noticed a large bird of prey on the gasometer. With camera at full zoom, I managed to get a few shots. We did our shopping - new bike helmet, lock and more lights for me and new running shirt and gloves for husband -and then walked home before it got dark.

When I looked at the pictures at home I wondered if the bird was a sparrowhawk but it just didn't look quite right. Peregrine did but seemed unlikely. I took to Twitter and showed the photo to a birding friend and he confirmed the ID as a peregrine and mentioned the population around Reading. Such a special and unexpected sight. Urban wildlife is amazing.