Just wanted to let the wildlife lovers know .....

[mrs.chappie]

Raggy, my resident blackbird, has come to a horrible end. I was watching him on my patio yesterday, and suddenly a sparrowhawk swooped down and grabbed him. It was horrible. The hawk took him to the wall at the back of my garden and started to pluck him.

There was nothing I could do. I know this happens in nature, but it was horrible to see it happen to him, I had become very attached. The nice thing is that he lives on through his offspring - he raised two rounds of chicks in my garden. I just hope they are gonna be safe, as the hawk is hanging around - I have seen him again today.

My hubby thinks the hawk may be unwell, he says you don't usually see them low on the ground. Anyone know if this is correct?The hawk has been sitting for ages on a low wall.

[madboutcats]

so sorry to hear about raggys demise, i hope his offspring make it to raise more offspring and maybe raggy part 2. i lost a wood pigeon a few years ago to a bird of prey, caught it chomping on body but too far down garden to identify.

[amaham]

They are opportunists and will seek food anywhere! I have had the same happen in my back garden by a falcon. It took a starling on a neighbour's roof...very unsettling, but, it IS nature. However, it was amazing to see at very close range as you don't expect to see them in suburbia.

[mrs.chappie]

Thanks mad. I called him raggy 'cos he'd run himsself ragged raising his chicks. His feathers were all tatty. He was such a character. I used to hide mealworms for him, tuck them away under a hedge, and he knew they were there and always found them.

He will be very sadly missed. :o(

[mrs.chappie]

Thanks amaham. I know it's nature, and the hawk needs the food to survive - it just felt particularly horrible as it was a bird that I knew well.

[gen2]

Presumably you didn't raise those mealworms yourself. If you had, you'd be feeling the same whenever your blackbird (or robin) took one to eat.

That is just the food chain in operation but you cannot be selective. If you feed birds and attract them to your garden, then it is inevitable that the predators will follow. I have seen sparrowhawks frequently in my garden but only witnessed a kill on one occasion (a sparrow) but piles of plucked feathers have evidenced several unseen kills.

Fortunately the small birds seem to have good lookouts and an efficient alarm system so they usually make themselves scarce before they are at risk.

[mrs.chappie]

Thanks for your reply gen, and your interesting point about the mealworms.

I didn't raise the mealworms myself (and of course, they aren't actually 'worms' - they are beetle larvae).

As larvae and at beetle stage, they eat grain and seedlings, and therefore man considers these creatures 'pests' - except of course when being bred for food. (Aaaarggh ......don't like to use the word 'pests' for any living creature).

Whether man should breed them solely for this purpose is an interesting debate.

Me? I'm on the fence about this one. Yes, it's very sad that they lose their life. On the other hand, they help sustain life for many other creatures, and enable other species to flourish. Is it right or wrong to breed them solely for this purpose?

It's a bit too deep for a simpleton like me I'm afraid!!!!

Thanks again for all replies.

[Cetti]

No, there was nothing wrong with the Sparrowhawk, it was just showing you what a phenomenal hunter it is and its amazing technique! They can sit concealed on a perch planning their attack watching birds, then suddenly appear as from nowhere, swooping on their chosen prey. Another method is the swift swoop and off approach.

In our garden we have what is known as 'Spawk alley' as a succession of hawks regularly swoop over our gate and pounce on an unsuspecting Sparrow or Blackie, then proceed to pluck it on the ground or fly off with its meal.
If a raptor is sick it usually means death because it is unable to perform these amazing feats as a hunter. I know it's a bit sad, but taking the weakest is actually doing your local birdy population a favour as future mates will be stronger, thus ensuring survival of the fittest.

[alfieblue]

mrs.c - so sorry to hear about raggy. I know it's the way of nature but its still hard.

My tame blackbird (yellowbeak) has been missing for sometime now - longer than usual. I am trying to keep optimistic but miss the silly old bird!! He too was a raggy old thing - all that courting and raising the numerous chicks. He used to make us laugh so much and would take grapes from my hand - his morning treat! Had to stop the grapes tho when wee pup joined our family - but apple was a good substitute - yellowbeak would wait outside the kitchen door - and scuttle up and down the fence til i produced his breakfast. If he wasnt satisfied he would land on the garden table and eyeball me thru the patio doors til he got further treats!! He was also a very good mimic!! Very bright bird.

He was fairly old - but a game old boy. Still keeping fingers crossed for him. xx

[mrs.chappie]

Thanks to all for your kind words.

Hey alfie, I'll keep my fingers crossed that old yellowbeak shows up - it's so much sadder when a bird you have come to know suddenly disappears. :o(

Raggy was a clever bird. Initially I used to put the mealworms out at dusk (for the hedgehogs) and he always came at the right time to have his fill, when other birds were roosting for the night.

I'd see him during the day, hopping about, but at night he always went to my hidden place under the bushes to find his food - the clever wee thing. He became used to me and would happily come into my porch (where I keep the tub of mealworms) if I left the back door open.

Since my original post, I've seen the hawk take a second bird from the garden. It made me wonder if I should stop feeding the birds, but my OH said to carry on, because for every one that is lost to a predator, several will live on with the help of extra food. I hope he's right. The 'experts' tell us to feed all year round, but not so many years ago, we were told not to feed between April and October.

[LoftyLottie]

How horrible for you to witness it, Mrs Chappie. Poor Raggy. It's so easy for us to 'humanise' them but we really shouldn't. Having said that all the regular birds in my garden are very special to me and I worry about them all.

And to confirm what Cetti has said, Sparrowhawks do come down very low and usually pluck their victims quite low to the ground and usually in the same place.

[pastafreak]

That has almost brought tears to my eyes,mrs chappie. But what everyone says about this being part of nature is so true. Even such a painful event has beauty in it. I once saw a sparrowhawk swoop down on a seagull in a residential area near my home-I am in a small city. It was an amazing sight!!

[zig.zag]

lets let it rip with nature

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCRE9qOgbug

[Ice.Maiden]

Hi chappie. Nature can seem very cruel, but each living creature has its place in the food chain. Fortunately Raggy's offspring live on. Be happy that you were able to watch this, because as more and more people turn their gardens into paved and concrete masses, bird and animal habitats are being removed. Hope you have many further seasons of watching new nests being built, and hopefully no more of what happened to poor Raggy. x

[mrs.chappie]

Hey, thanks folks, for all your replies.

I know it's nature, and it will always happen, but I think it helps (well it does to me!!!) to share these things with all the good folk on AB.

Thanks again buddies.xx