Crafty Sparrow Hawk

[Steve JH]

Never have I seen this before???

I have several feeders in my back garden,,and have some times a visiting Sparrow Hawk,,who just sits on the fence acting as scare-crow for all the other visiting birds till now...Have just witnessed her going into a very thick Laylandi hedge and emmerging with a young sparrow,is it common practice for Sparrow Hawks to "nest rob"...

Steve H

[aeshna5]

I have seen them go into hedges to try + flush small birds out of them. They also often sit still in a tree/shrub waiting for some unsuspecting bird to come down + then make a quick grab for it.

[rossy]

yes and i have witnessed one ,and if you imagine how acrobatic a bat is , the sparrowhawk went right along a whole line of leylandi bushes but didnt flush any birds out. these are very agile birds, rossy.

[LRM]

Last year I saw 2 'pigeons' fighting - then I realised one was brown. After alot of flapping the pigeon broke free and flew off leaving a sparrowhawk, which flew a few feet away and remained standing. (I thought the pigeon had a lucky escape.) I got my camera and long lens but despite keeping my distance it flew away. I went and had a look and found a young pigeon nearly ready to fledge - dead.
So the pigeon lost its baby and the sparrowhawk lost its meal - total disaster - I don't know whether it would come back later and retrieve it.

Neither the Doves or the Pigeons have successfully raised young in that Leylandii tree in years. I have always blamed the Magpies but maybe the Sparrowhawk is to blame as well. The Pigeons in the ivy covered Birch tree have a little more success.

I've seen it twice in the last couple of weeks in the hawthorn tree where the bird feeder is. It gets right into the tree and the rose bushes after the birds who are trying to hide deep in the foliage.