sparrowhawk alarm call

[accipter]

Can anyone please answser this for me a few years ago I found a sparrow hawk nest in a small wood not far from where I live, the next year the pair nested there again, the year after that I was there before they started to build, I could tell by the amount of whitewash I found that they were still there, then I saw one of the adult birds turned up and gave out the loudest alarm call I have ever heard, there was no nest that year, the next year the same thing happened again Is this just territorial behaviour even though there's no nest.

[Picidae]

Originally Posted by accipter

Can anyone please answser this for me a few years ago I found a sparrow hawk nest in a small wood not far from where I live, the next year the pair nested there again, the year after that I was there before they started to build, I could tell by the amount of whitewash I found that they were still there, then I saw one of the adult birds turned up and gave out the loudest alarm call I have ever heard, there was no nest that year, the next year the same thing happened again Is this just territorial behaviour even though there's no nest.

Possibly. How close were you to the nest site and/or the nest on previous occasions?

[accipter]

right under the tree.

[RKB]

There might be a nest, but somewhere else nearby. They can use old nests as plucking/food swap platforms while another nest is active elsewhere. If it's alarming (kik-kik-kik!), that's a pretty good sign there's an occupied nest nearby.

[accipter]

thank you for replying, would 800 yds qualify?, I heard and saw just the one young hawk yesterday in a wood the other side of a 50 acre field from where she alarmed called at me. I had a ' very good look' in this wood for any signs, whitewash, nest, hawk feathers, and found none. although I did find two feathers at the old nest site back in mid april and mid may, but there was no nest, 'very sure'. I looked in every tree.