sparrowhawk

[Jules001]

I was on the 'phone earlier with my back to the kitchen window, when I turned around I saw a bird on the lawn with a wing flapping underneath it. I got the binoculars and saw that it was a female sparrowhawk (I had obviously just missed the kill) and was in two minds whether to go out and shoo the s/hawk away or let nature take it's course. My son wisely said you may as well leave it as the bird has had it now anyway. It spent ages plucking all the feathers out and then flew off with the carcass. I have been out to see if I can identify the 'victim' but I think it was probably a fledgling as they were very downy feathers, either grey or possibly blue. The garden seems eerily quiet now as there are no birds around, does anyone know how long it takes before the birds will trust the garden and come back to feed? hope it's not too long as I have been attracting loads of birds including a woodpecker yesterday and was really enjoying watching them, shame the s/hawk didn't take the wretched fat pigeons!

[raysparx1]

Hi Jules, Itr won't take long, although birds are very timid, they soon return to food, we get that quite a lot where we are (North Wales) but the birds are normally back within a few hours, nature is so wonderful yet so violent, but at least the sparrowhawk only killed to eat, not for the hell of it, Ray

[burnhal]

Indeed- it doesnt take long. No point in shooing it away as it is likely food for youngsters- its nature anyway as you say. I have a sparrowhawk that pops in occasionally and more often than not takes a collared dove. The one thing to note regarding sparrowhawks is that you dont get them in areas that are not attractive to smaller birds- so count your garden as a good birdie place!! And it wont wipe out the local population- that would force it to move elsewhere- it will cover a pretty big territory anyway.

[Ethel]

I often see a sparrowhawk in my garden - and can always tell when one's about. As you say, the area goes spookily quiet of birds.

I have several bird tables, feeders and nestboxes and within an hour or so it is 'business as usual'.


I welcome the sparrowhawk - it is a sign that the bird population is doing well.

[WendyS]

Exactly the same thing happened in our garden while we were eating breakfast this morning with a sparrowhawk and it all happened so quickly that I didn't even have a chance to see which bird was snached although I think it was a young starling. I think this sparrowhawk must be a regular because in the past week I've spotted bundles of feathers on our lawn in the morning but never seen a corpse, and blamed our neighbour's cat. Our garden was very quiet for several hours but as we have a bird table and Iregularly put food out for the birds, they obviously got hungry and many of them reappeared mid afternoon. But I've now moved the bird table nearer to a big shrub and this afternoon scattered my "fatty oats" under the base of the shrub so that any foraging birds have a little more shelter when foraging, and somewhere to try and flee to if they get ambushed. The other two bundles of feathers I found both looked as if they belonged to great tits or blue tits so possibly they go for smaller birds.

[Jules001]

She (the s/hawk) has been back again twice since, obviously thinks it is a good feeding spot. Garden still very quiet, but I expect they will be back when they are hungry. I am obviously running a very good bird cafe with all my feeders etc and the fact that due to other things happening we haven't got around to netting our soft fruit area this year so rich pickings in our garden all round. As violent as nature is - she still is a magnificent bird to see and I felt privileged to watch her.

Wildlife really picking up here at the moment, saw 4 bats flying around in the garden last night and the woody yesterday - can't wait to see what visitors I get next!

[Robinia]

Yes Jules it's happened to me too - usually, as burnhal says, they kill a collared dove. Once they've pounced it's best to let it happen as I found out by shooing a s/hawk (it was right behind me!) which left a badly injured & dying bird. It was then up to me to deal with it & put it out of it's misery - well I asked a neighbour actually, I couldn't do it. It may as well have been a meal.
We're too sensitive aren't we?
Lovely that you've seen bats....it hasn't been fit to sit outside in the evenings & look for them here.