Sparrowhawk or Goshawk?

[ramidg]

Apologies for my absence, to update you all who have taken such an interest, as far as I can tell, the family have left the garden now, I could hear the usual cry for a while but getting increasingly distant as the days passed, have not heard it at all for several days now. The wooded area is around 2 acres with a central natural pond, arranged to form lots of habitat transitions, there is normally continual bird chatter but not this year, so whilst the prospect of something rare visiting is interesting, I think I prefer it as it was before.

I have been trying to find other references to help identification, supposedly the Goshawk takes larger prey than normal garden song birds, another pointer to the visitor being a sparrowhawk, but the cry as noted in my first post is distinctive, unless the chick/juvenile is different, does anyone know if this is the case? I cannot find a reference for this question.

[Dogghound]

Calls are very similar to the adults in both of these species. They start high pitched and as the bird ages become more similar to that of the adult bird. However once they fledge they are very similar.

[Jonathan]

Originally Posted by ramidg

but the cry as noted in my first post is distinctive, unless the chick/juvenile is different, does anyone know if this is the case? I cannot find a reference for this question.

Juvenile Sparrowhawk

Cheers
Jonathan

[Acipiter]

Some juveniles can sound slightly different from brood to brood, and it does depend on how far you are away from the calling bird, to what it may sound like. So you may have been confused by the recording you heard. The young male normally sounds higher pitched then the females. PS. its sounding more like a sparrow hawk now you have given the size of the wood. Regards Alan.

[ramidg]

Thanks for the audio link Jonathan, it is(was) definitely sparrow hawks I have been listening to. I still hear the odd call in the distance, but nothing like the all day activity earlier in the year.

I have been landscaping around the pond this summer so have been spending many hours in all weathers in the wooded part of the garden. We seem to have crows taking a residential interest in the taller trees for the first time this year, seemingly not best buddies with magpies though, they have now all but disappeared. I watched a bit of an altercation between a sparrowhawk and a crow, then hawk 2 joined in and tipped the balance of power in hawk favour, then crow2 turned up, exit hawks heading west. The buzzards which circled in the spring and I was less clear about what the different species look like are back, now three, and the size difference is very noticeable. By the pond I am surrounded by tall trees so have a view of the sky something like a 30 degree cone directly above, buzzards seem to conveniently call as they pass over, inviting anyone interested to look up.

By the way, to go even further off topic, the pond is devoid of fish this year, I have posted elsewhere on the pond, the water is crystal clear, and the kingfisher is eating all the young newts, this will definitely not do!