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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2006 7:20:41 GMT
Hi all, Just popped out to the garden and sitting on the fence was a sparrow hawk. Apparently the are quite rare around here and I have not seen one for a couple of years and never in the garden. Of course he vanished on sight of the camera. We have a flock of sparrows which frequent the garden about 30 or so who are eating 1.5k of food every 2 days costing me a fortune. I wonder if he will come back? Sara  |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2006 7:30:39 GMT
Yes I'm sure he will be back now he has spotted all those sparrows feeding in your garden - they like hunting when the sun is low, they fly in with the sun behind them, making it harder for their prey to see them, as the sun is in their eyes!!
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Post by Plocket on Sept 19, 2006 8:03:21 GMT
Hia Sara! Oooh you are very lucky - they are lovely birds. We have one living in the area but rarely see him, and he certainly never stays long enough to be photographed. I think they hunt over a fairly large area but if he's spotted your feeders he'll know that small birds visit regularly!!!
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Post by Spruance on Sept 19, 2006 8:36:36 GMT
We have regular visits from a sparrowhawk. I've got some slightly blurry pictures on the PC at home of one 'dealing with' a sparrow on the back lawn.
It's surprising how close you can sometimes get to them before they take fright.
I can remember one landing at the bottom of the garden one Sunday morning whilst I was sitting on the patio reading a newspaper. Of course as soon as it spotted me it was off, but it was an interesting experience.
Very occasionally you can often spot a kestrel hovering over neighbouring gardens, but I have never see one actually come into the garden like the sparrowhawk does.
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Post by piggingardener on Sept 19, 2006 10:06:34 GMT
We have a pair of sparrowhawks visiting although they never appear together. The female was around a lot earlier in the year and the male has been at least twice during the last couple of weeks. They are handsome birds. We've also seen evidence of their huting success on the lawn. They don't leave much, just the feathers. We do have a lot of sparrows though, three families nesting in the loft and at least three/four broods each.
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Post by Plocket on Sept 19, 2006 10:20:58 GMT
Our local sparrowhawk has only killed in our garden once and BOY what a mess that made - feathers everywhere!!!
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Post by piggingardener on Sept 19, 2006 11:05:31 GMT
Yes, but thankfully that's all they leave!
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Post by Plocket on Sept 19, 2006 14:41:44 GMT
Oh yes - generally I'd say they were much more efficient and tidy than, say, cats!!! ;D
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2006 17:06:51 GMT
Ooh, I don't fancy a great sparrow massacre in the garden, but I suppose what will happen is just nature. Hope the dog keeps out of the way. Will wait and see if the hawk comes back. Keep you posted Sara |
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Post by madonplants on Sept 27, 2006 10:42:33 GMT
One of my sparrowhawk sightings was horrible. I was upstairs in my study and heard this squeaking. Thinking it was the computer I looked it over to find no sign of increased noice, so I carried on. It still was there and realisd it came from the garden. I looked out of the window to see the hawk astride a starling. I went downstairs and looked out. It was on top of the starling wrongway round so to speak, and was defoliating it, while the bird was still alive and squeeling. I thought they killed them first and was sickened as to how long this had been going on for! I couldn't believe what I was seeing, as I was only four feet away, behind glass doors and the hawk knew I was there, but just carried on! It eventually took off with the starling and I noticed the poor bird had gone limp, so obviously dead. I know it happens but I still hate to see it. It is like on Big Cat Diaries when you see a herd of lions take ages to kill a buffalo. You know it happens, but do you have to see it! Some people hate crocodiles, but at least they are quick in their killing. It goes back to what looks nicer, I suppose. I love watching a thrush smash a snail on a stone or a robin pulling a worm from it's hole.
Must stop as it is making me remember it again!
Keith
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Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2006 11:42:07 GMT
That's mother nature for you - she can be soooooo cruel  |
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Post by Spruance on Sept 27, 2006 21:48:28 GMT
Here's that blurry Sparrowhawk photo I mentioned earlier....  I didn't have much time to compose the picture as I was trying to keep out of sight in the dining room, whilst taking this through the window. Everytime I've seen the hawk since, I never seem to have the camera to hand.  |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2006 6:14:01 GMT
here's my sparrowhawk (i think). sitting there with a right headache as she'd just dive bombed a sparrow who i like to think took a steep left bank upwards leaving our friend here to crash into the living room window ! mind you on further inspection a few days later, i found wee sparra at the bottom of one of the plant pots so it might have not been that lucky. lucky enough not to have been ripped to shreds i suppose.  |
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Post by Plocket on Oct 4, 2006 7:02:00 GMT
You are so lucky that you get to take photos! Our buzzards and sparrowhawks are very shy and I usually only see them from a distance.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2006 7:10:37 GMT
Hi, I have not seen mine since, maybe he is just waiting until they bulk up a bit more, better mouthfull. sara  |
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