Is this unusual???

[photomaniac]

well the other week i was sitting at my window with my camera taking pics of the robin i raised a year ago when the garden was startled and he flew away.

i looked up and a sparrow hawk was circling around in the distance bout 50m away (an estimate). i got some pics of it but the pics were blury!

i went out and sat in my shed (the window was the other way from the way the sparrowhawk. but anyway........i went out again as i thought no more pics would come then above me was the hawk getting lower and lower eventually it sat on my tallest tree (dont ask what it is called i know not much bout gardning) so i got my camera out and got some pics but then a group of 20-30 starlings flocked my garden and started mobbing the hawk with no fear. but then the hawk gave flight to head off but about 6 starling chased him into the distance and back but the really strange this is that then after some heavy hits off the strling the hawk looked weak and eventually getting sick and sick as days went on..........after about a week it was to weak to fly and it was then seen by 2 magpies that killed it...

how did it not get away from starling and killed by magpie?

[the young hunter]

Was it sitting in the tree for a whole week then, because for you to observe it for that long it must have been observable 24/7

I've never heard of magpies killing birds-of-prey - did you see it happen?



mike

[Hedge Witch]

I think it was most probably sick when the starlings mobbed it. All the birds in your story probably sensed this.

[Tracey.A]

I'm wondering if it was a young inexperienced Sparrow hawk. I do know that birds can fiercley defend their young. I've seen Swallows seeing off a Kestrel and crows giving chase to buzzards. Did you get any photos? Shame about the Sparrow hawk.

Tracey

[Adam Cheeseman]

Sparrowhawks are hunters that use surprise as their means of attack. If they are seen perched by 'prey' birds they will often gang up and mob it, and chase it even in flight because the sprawk has to build up speed in low level flight whilst remaining undetected. Out in the open like that it is no real threat.

As for being killed by the magpies, I would go along with it being an inexperienced young bird that had failed to catch anything and so was weak from hunger. It could also have been ill.

Cheers,

Adam

[Wild-Woman]

I hope this link is ok with Stu but I thought it explains a few things.

The RSPB: Sparrowhawk: Mortality