Ive just seen an amazing sight in our garden, what was it ?

[Steve_In_Cheshire]

I was having a cuppa at the kitchen window and i noticed this bird swoop into our garden at lightening speed, their were quite a few birds feeding on the lawn at the time including some blackbirds, sparrows and finches.

All the birds scattered and the blackbirds were going mental with their distinct warning and distress call, this bird then landed on the back wall of our garden. I quickly grabbed the binoculars and managed to get a look at the bird before it flew off, i was looking at it head on and it seemed to have yellow on its curved hook like beak, the front looked a speccled colour with bits of white and it was a similar size to a pigeon, its eyes looked evil.

The blackbirds are still going mental in the trees and this is 30 mins after the bird appeared, any ideas what it was ? I had a quick look on google and i`m not 100% sure, maybe a sparrowhawk ?

I had no time to grab a camera as i needed to get the binoculars first, it was gone after a few mins. I`ll keep a camera handy incase it appears again, maybe this would explain feathers all over the garden the other day and half a dead blackbird found at the back of the garden and at the min we have an injured pigeon in the garden thats hiding in a bush.

[Jenny W]

Sounds like Sparrowhawk to me.

[Fieldfare95]

Sounds like a sparrowhawk to me too, a great bird.

[Jonners]

Yeah, that'll be a sparrowhawk for me too. They like to surprise their prey, often flying low and then up and over a hedge etc to startle birds into flight. Very quick and remarkably maneouvrable.

[Steve_In_Cheshire]

It sounds like a sparrowhawk from the replies, looking at it through the binoculars was great, the first thing that grabs you is its evil looking eyes and yellow hooked beak, they look like a killing machine. What a fine looking bird though, i`m not sure if i have seen one before in the wild flying about, this is certainly the closest ive ever been to one.

I just couldn`t believe the speed it swooped down at, it seemed to dive down like an incoming missile then it quickly dived right and landed on the wall at the back of our garden. This bird appearing explains a lot of things that have happened of late like finding feathers all over the lawn one day then finding a couple of injured and dead birds as well. In some ways i`m relieved that its a sparrowhawk thats been doing this to some of our birds as thats nature and i accept that, its far better than it being pesky moggies that i thought may have been having a go at the birds.

[ron1863]

I would guess at Sparrowhawk as they can fly like the clappers. We have one that sits on our flood wall watching the birds at the feeder. Never seen it attacking one yet

[Steve_In_Cheshire]

Originally Posted by ron1863

I would guess at Sparrowhawk as they can fly like the clappers. We have one that sits on our flood wall watching the birds at the feeder. Never seen it attacking one yet

It was deffinatley swooping down to attack one of the birds on the lawn, it looked like it missed as it was sat on the wall and i didn`t notice a capture in its feet or near by.

I have a question, if you had a heck of a lot of Blackbird, Sparrow, Starling, Robin and Finch chicks on your lawn would you shoe this sparrowhawk off if you seen it about or appreciate it arriving as a fine sight of nature ?

[Picidae]

Bet that had the adrenalin going Steve! Always exiting to see BoP hunting. I wouldn't necessarily rule out a cat predator for the dead birds and the injured ones though, Sparrowhawk pluck their prey and eat it (hence feathers all over the lawn). Like most birds of prey, they will eat the breast first, so if any of your dead birds have a hole in, that's your 'culprit' and the Sparrowhawk may have been disturbed whilst eating. Sometimes the kill may fail and the prey 'escapes' with injuries, so again, could be Sparrowhawk is responsible for the injured birds too. However, cats will kill birds and leave them, and also obviously can cause the injuries to the birds you've found, so while you certainly have a Sparrowhawk hunting your garden, you may also have a feline predator so I'd keep your eyes open just in case!

RE the above post and question of 'shooing' Sprawks off - the urban ones are are dependent on small garden birds - it's part of the natural eco system and basic rule is that a predator will never eat it's prey to 'extinction' so will move on - you may have local losses but in the bigger picture of things there's no justification to chasing Sparrowhawks out of the garden. (Dont watch if you find it gory or your favourite mother Blackbird is in the line of fire - to be honest, it makes me rather queasy!!)

[acherontia]

Originally Posted by Steve_In_Cheshire

I have a question, if you had a heck of a lot of Blackbird, Sparrow, Starling, Robin and Finch chicks on your lawn would you shoe this sparrowhawk off if you seen it about or appreciate it arriving as a fine sight of nature ?

I'd appreciate it - and it sounds as though you did All part of nature and much more eco friendly than us!

Acher

[Steve_In_Cheshire]

This sparrowhak has had another male blackbird today, it wasn`t from our garden but a neighbours. At this rate their will be no males left to feed the chicks and we have a lot of blackbird chicks in our area.

The birds have been going mental all day in the trees, ive just watched a dove, 2 blackbirds and a few smaller birds scarper above my head with distress calls going ten to the dozen from the trees where they roost all the time. It sounds like this sparrowhawk has found a new feeding ground where it knows their is a large population of birds, i guess its nature at its finest and at its cruelest at the same time.

The neighbour said this sparrowhawk was on his lawn as bold as brass with the dead blackbird under its feet, its like having natures terminator in the area

I can see a lot of our birds getting wiped out fairly quickly by this sparrowhawk and their isn`t a lot you can do, its a strange one as you don`t know whether to marvel at nature or feel like your bird population is dissapearing under your eyes.