sparrowhawks

[bobtheduck]

my mother enjoys feeding the birds in her garden but they are quite often taken by sparrowhawks, anyone know of any solutions to this?

[New Forester]

It's a tricky one, but the way I look at it is that sparrowhawks are birds too. What gives us the right to pick and choose which birds we watch, and which benefit from the bird-table? Sparrowhawks eat small birds whether at a bird table or elsewhere. At least this way you get to see these spectacular and noble birds! Populations of many small birds are declining, but this is not true of the species favoured by sparrowhawks -- in fact, the reason sparrowhawks are doing well is because their prey species are also pretty healthy.

[Wisebird]

I find it upsetting when this happens, but am 100% behind New Forester with what he has replied. I have hardened myself (but not completely) over the years that I have been feeding the birds. I believe I am right in saying that more birds are killed by cars than sparrowhawks. At least the sparrowhawks are taking them for food, so your mother is helping them. My mother likes feeding 'her' bluetits and gets most annoyed when other birds come to the birdtable - banging loudly on the window to make them go away!!

[WoWo]

What you need to do is move your bird table to the edge of your garden, next to a fence or wall. The sparrow hawk uses a swoop attack and needs space to fly in and out of, by putting the table near a wall his escape route is bloked, so he will go elsewhere.

[Cetti]

Sounds like a good idea in theory WoWo but as Sparrowhawks are very adapt flyers, I'm afraid this won't work. Our birdtable is quite close to a fence and a few years ago I had the privilege of seeing a male Sparrowhawk suddenly appear and strike feet first into a bush full of screaming Sparrows. I was both horrified and mesmerised as this magnificent creature with it's slate grey back and russet barred chest gleaming in the sun proceeded to eat its meal. I also saw a huge female attempt to take a rabbit a few weeks ago. In the past our raptors were persecuted and the numbers declined dramatically - now thankfully they are doing well, so let's enjoy them - or do as I did the first time.....put your hands over your eyes;-)

[WoWo]

So the bloke at the birds of pray center I was talking to on Satruday was talking rubbish then was he.

I didn't say they would never attack in such circumstances but that they are less likely to do so.

[bobtheduck]

hmm much food for thought thanks one and all

[New Forester]

I think you're right, Cetti. Sparrowhawks are astonishingly agile. I've seen one fly at full speed through a dense tree. Despite the many twigs, it seemed to fly in a straight line, dodging in and out like lightning. (By the way, I heard a Cetti's yesterday -- the first since they started singing for the winter) I've also seen

[Wisebird]

Sparrowhawks definitely take the birds from our table and that is about 1ft from our boundary which is about 10ft high.

[Cetti]

I'm dying to known what you've also seen New Forester - it must have been amazing as you stopped typing... Don't Cettis's have the most amazing song for such a nondescript bird - a real explosion of sound?

[New Forester]

Sorry, Cetti. I hadn't seen anything else particularly -- it was just a surviving bit of an earlier draft of what I wrote about Cetti's, which I'd not realised was still tagged on the end. We have quite a lot of Cetti's round us, and hear them all winter long, as well of course as in the spring. It is an amazing sound. But how do you know they're nondescript, as like nightingales they are invisible? I've also seen ... A barn owl recently -- flushed from a tree right next to us, then later catching a vole in the distance. And near that Cetti's, a week or two back, two young otters lolloping across the grass a few metres in front of us! I'd go on, but I'd only make you more jealous...

[New Forester]

Cetti - Just re-reading your earlier post. The huge female sparrowhawk after a rabbit... Are you sure it wasn't a goshawk? Characteristic size and behaviour, and they're not that rare now. Or, if you didn't get such a good look, could it have been a buzzard?

[Cetti]

Now I'm going to make you jealous New Forester. I've been watching, yes watching as well as hearing Cetti's for many years at a place I'm sure you know is one of their main strongholds - Radipole RSPB. They are only a matter of feet from the visitor's centre, and appear on a regular basis frightening the life out of the unsuspecting passer-by!! My husband came across this amazing sight (spawk and bunny)first. She was no more than 10 feet away on the ground, so we had ample time for a definite identification as she remained for a good half an hour adopting the 'mantling' position if we came too near. She was a very big girl, but not as large as a Common Buzzard or anywhere near the size of a Goshawk. It was one of those unexpected times that remains forever - a 'WOW' monent. You're talking real envy with two Otters! They're making a gradual comeback to Dorset, but as yet I've not seen one.

[New Forester]

Small male gos...? Pretty close in size I think to large female sparrowhawk. Pretty similar in appearance too, and the prey is more typical (though we have a sparrowhawk near us who habitually takes woodpigeons as big as herself).