Nature in the raw

[jennyb]

My husband has just seen what we think was a sparrowhawk, fly down and take a bird off one of my feeders. I feel quite distressed about this even though I know that this is the way nature works.

My concern is that maybe I am lulling the little birds into a false sense of security by feeding them. Do you think it is likely that the sparrowhawk will be back regularly knowing that there is an easy source of food here?

On the other hand, do you think the little birds will have learned a lesson this afternoon and be more vigilant in future? They have certainly all disappeared now.

If this is going to happen again, I hope that at least I can capture it on camera!

Jenny

[eeyore]

this is nature in action and the hawk will always take the less fit birds, so although this is doubtless distressing to see it is just darwin in action.

i would suggest that you ensure that your feeders are close enough to cover to give the birds a reasonable chance of escape - that way you are not luring them right out into the open. If it happens a lot you could also get one of those feeders with a cage round it - arround 30 folding from the rspb - so that the birds are at least safe when on the feeder.

[Kev Lewis]

A open meshed cage is an obvious solution, either home made or bought. Locate the table adjacent to nautral cover is also the right idea. If you want to photograph the birds then one or two perches that the birds will use as a waiting point will work rather than images of the 'caged' birds

[jennyb]

The feeders are fairly close to a clump of dense shrubs, so there is some protection. If I move them closer, the squirrel will be able to launch himself off the shrubs onto the feeders!

Yes, one of the feeders which the little birds can go inside is quite a good idea. I may consider that next time I buy one.

Maybe, the sparrowhawk regularly feeds on my birds. Maybe this is just the first time we have noticed.

Jenny

[Tornado]

Maybe, the sparrowhawk regularly feeds on my birds. Maybe this is just the first time we have noticed.

Jenny[/quote]

Hi Jenny, it is very likely that the hawk does take birds from your garden more regularly than you realize. They seem to manage to pick off the youngsters quite easily. My husband watched a female Sparrow Hawk chased a Goldfinch off the feeder in our garden and through the trellis, the gap of which at most is around 6 inch square!She flew with such agility that my husband felt sorry for her as the Goldfinch escaped!
It is suprising just how many times they actually appear in the garden but have little or sometimes no success.

I suspect this will be a regular haunt for your Sparrow Hawk but, as we have found in the past, you don't always know they are there or that they have been.

Tornado

[Airehead]

Originally Posted by jennyb

If this is going to happen again, I hope that at least I can capture it on camera!
Jenny

Now there's the right attitude!!

[Tornado]

Originally Posted by Airehead

Now there's the right attitude!!

Yep right attitude but sometime easier said than done!!!

[nightshade]

There is a natural balance that is usually maintained and the raptors are part of it
we have a sparrow hawk and a kestrel that visit our garden (usually fleetingly!)
and we count ourselves lucky to see it,the garden is stuffed with birds and the
occasional one (although missed) is a small price to see another splendid bird type

[Chrisg]

Jenny,
Your original question 'will the hawk be back' I would say yes, almost certainly. All birds of prey will take the easiest meal they can find and if successful in a catch will come back again.

On an aside it is generally thought that the state of the local ecosystem can be roughly gauged by the existance of sparrowhawks since they are at the top of the food chain. So you can take solace in the fact that your garden and immediate area are in good shape as far as wildlife are concerned.

ChrisG

[JeffH]

Jenny

I'm afraid I have to agree with the previous postings which confirm that the sparrowhawk will almost certainly be back and is probably already a regular visitor to your garden.

We've had at least twice weekly (probably daily?) visits from a sparrowhawk for at least 4 years now and it obviously recognises our garden as a good food source since we have more than a dozen different feeding stations and small birds are plentiful. Although I usually get only fleeting glimpses, I do regularly find evidence of successful strikes in the form of piles of feathers or parts of bird carcasses around the garden. Not pleasant I know, but they've all got to eat!

On several occasions the hawk has actually stayed in the garden for quite a while to pluck and consume its prey. On one memorable occasion it actually sat on the roof of one of our bird tables whilst eating a robin.

In our garden its main prey now seems to be collared doves. Fortunately (except for the victims of course!) we get these in large numbers of up to 40 at a time and the local collared dove population is clearly sufficient to withstand some predation.

I note you say that your visitor actually took a bird off one of your feeders. I've never actually seen this - what tends to happen in our garden is that the hawk comes flying in at quite high speed, either over the fence or over/through a long hawthorn hedge that runs the entire length of one side of the garden. As soon as one of the other birds spots it almost all the birds seem to scatter simultaneously with the hawk picking out, chasing and striking (or sometimes missing) its chosen prey. You can often tell when it's appeared just from the sound of all the birds taking off together and the blackbirds sudden alarm calls.

Several of our feeders are of the anti-squirrel caged type mentioned in some of the other postings but I'm not convinced these really offer much protection from hawk attacks, as although the hawk obviously won't be able to pluck a victim directly from such a feeder, my observations are that all the birds tend to scatter anyway as the hawk nears with none actually staying on the feeders. It would be a brave little bird that held its ground within a caged feeder whilst the sparrowhawk homed in on it!

I'd say the best advice is to try to place your feeders nearer to natural cover so as to give the small birds at least a chance of dodging an attack rather than trying to outrun, or should that be outfly, one of our most agile of our birds of prey.

Finally, don't feel bad about such things. As others have said, it is all part of the balance of nature and regular sightings of such a magnificent bird are to be welcomed. Keep that camera handy!

JeffH