Sparrow Hawk Attacks

KAZUYADOG · #1 (**permalink**) 15-11-2009, 09:50 AM

This is my first post so i would like to say hello first of all.

I live in urban Sheffield,Manor Top,to be exact,not an area which you would associate with Sparrow Hawks.

I have put food out for sparrows,tits,finches for a good few years now,mainly fat balls,nut bags,seed feader,i also put nuts and seed on the ground in a certain place at the top of a garden path.
It is great to see the sparrows bring their fledged chicks into my garden and feed them.
I have bigger birds come too wood pidgeons,collared doves (upto 20 at a time) at feeding time,i have seen mating of wood pidgeons strange little dance the males do.
Mr Magpie comes too,i once witnessed a neihbours cat drag a young magpie off into the bushes,it was making an awful noise.

And for the last couple of years i have been visited almost daily by the Sparrow Hawk,it seems to time its visits to the time i put food out for its prey.
Once last summer i was messing about with the car,and i saw the sparrow hawk come out of of the bushes with a sparrow in its tallons,i caught a glimpse of the little sparrows eyes as it was carted off no more than 6 foot above my head,it was a resigned look.

Ever since then i have taken more notice of when and how the sparrow hawk attacks,it varies,from a full on dive bomb,to a horizontal swoop.
Just the other morning i was out in the garden tidying up after my dogs,and i came across a fresh pile of feathers,plumage grey/blue and wing feathers brown brindled,i searched around in the feathers and found just one tiny piece of the bird which had been killed,it was its upper bill and ajoining skull bones,looking at the shape of the bill i figured it was a Dunnock,i used to see 2 of them always on the ground feeding nervously,now i only see one.

Just this morning Sunday 15th i witnessed another attack by the Sparrow Hawk,just after i had put the birds food out.
It was lightening fast horizontal swoop aimed at the fat balls,all the sparrows shot off,i was amazed to see the sparrow hawk actually chasing them around in the bushes,until it gave up empty handed,and then just sat in the bush considring its next action.
I hope you don't mind my first post being too long winded,i will keep you updated on the events in my garden in the future.

PS,anyone see the Sparrow Hawk drowning a Magpie on Autumnwatch.

PMG · #2 (**permalink**) 15-11-2009, 09:58 AM

Hello good morning and welcome! Spawks are interesting to watch esp if you get regular visits and not just a random fly-by as you can see what is actually going on and how it goes about it.

If you look thro the threads you will see speculation (the Autumnwatch thread) about that spawk drowning incident: my husband watched the one at work (he's a ranger in sev town parks) take a noisy feisty starling to one of the ponds in the park and drown it. Raises some questions in my mind like did the bird actually think it thro that drowing will cause death and bring a quiet meal?!

Pauline

KAZUYADOG · #3 (**permalink**) 15-11-2009, 10:20 AM

That is interesting,seems like its a trait that is in the SpHawks makeup,if there is more than one individual drowning prey.
I'll have a look at the Autumwatch thread ta.
Mick

Wild-Woman · #4 (**permalink**) 15-11-2009, 10:23 AM

They're spectacular birds indeed and from what you have told us, your one is top predator in a diverse and staple food chain, so well done to you for providing all those involved with the means to keep it staple.
I've seen our resident sprawks take out an unsuspecting starling by bending round a corner of our house full tilt, obviously after an overhead fly past. They're not daft. They know how to attack from a close vantage point. One spring, we had 4 hits in one day-feeding chicks I should think. Amazing birds- I love them.

KAZUYADOG · #5 (**permalink**) 15-11-2009, 10:31 AM

Could you guide me to the Autumn watch thread,just done a search and can only find the 2006 version.

PMG · #6 (**permalink**) 15-11-2009, 10:36 AM

I've never forgotten seeing film (from the inside) of a spawk reaching under a wheel arch of a car to try and get ahold of a sparrow that had gone and tried to hide up on one of the springs! Those long bare spawk legs it seems can and do reach into cover - not just pluck stuff out of the air at full tilt! I see the local resident often when I peg out the washing (tho in fact three pairs have nested within a mile radius of our house) so it could be anyone of several flying very high above the gardens! I'm alerted to this by the flock of goldfinch we have visiting our feeders and table ....... I can almost guarantee that if I go back in the house after watching the spawk apparently spiral away that it will be back at low level, either just above our side entry or suddenly over the fence at the bottom of the garden - and it swerves after anything that dodges ........ quite a high proportion are 'misses' it goes away 'empty-clawed' but sometimes its successful and gets a meal ......

Pauline