WOW!!! Today Mr Noble spotted a rare NZ Falcon sitting in the tree outside our staffroom. It had just swooped in and killed a sparrow. As we watched it tore the poor sparrow apart, then proceeded to devour the hapless creature. Luckily for us, Rooms 19, 19, and 20 got to watch the grisly scene.
I was totally gobsmacked. The NZ falcon is a very rare forest bird. It is a type of goshawk which means it preys on other birds by swooping through the trees. It is smaller than the Australasian Harrier, which is what we normally see around eating carrion on the side of the road.
I just can't help wondering what such a rare forest bird was doing in our school in the middle of town.
Can you make a hypothesis as to why such a rare forest bird might be in Hamilton?
Describe any connections you can make to your personal prior knowledge? e.g. Have you ever been bird watching or seen other rare endemic NZ birds?
