Predator identification....

hels · #1 (**permalink**) 26-09-2011, 05:34 PM

So I have just found the remains of a bird in my garden...possibly a dunnock or maybe a female greenfinch. Hard to tell for sure as all I found was half a wing and a pile of downy feathers.

My question is, is there any way to figure out the most like culprit? It's almost certainly either a cat or a sparrowhawk (we have both here).

I know it's difficult to say for sure.
The leftover feathers were left in a sort of circular pattern, and obviously there's not much left. I know that some raptors do pluck in this way and basically eat everything, but I don't know enough about sparrowhawk behaviour to know if they do this.

I'm only asking because if it's a cat, I may need to figure out anti-cat methods!

Thanks for any opinions you all may have,

Hels

Dogghound · #2 (**permalink**) 26-09-2011, 05:37 PM

Can you post a photo, not enough to go on. Is any of the birds body still around? If its just a wing then I would suggest its been taken by a mammal. Is the shaft of the feathers kinked, split or bent? is the shaft bitten off?

hels · #3 (**permalink**) 26-09-2011, 05:58 PM

Hey dogghound,

Just been and taken some pics, will switch over to my computer now and upload them.

Had a look, couldnt find any more of the bird.
Had a closer look at the pile of feathers, and they looked...whole? To me. As if plucked for eg. I don't know enough about this sort of thing to be able to speak with authority tho. I will upload pics in a couple mins :-)

Thanks!

hels · #4 (**permalink**) 26-09-2011, 06:51 PM

sorry for the delay, i hadn't tried uploading pics on here before!
anyway, pretty sure it was a dunnock based on what I know comes into my garden.

Dogghound · #5 (**permalink**) 26-09-2011, 08:47 PM

Its a house sparrow. Looks like its been predated by a mammal too, so yes probably cat.

Jason Green · #6 (**permalink**) 26-09-2011, 09:06 PM

Very clever to do species from a wing!

hels · #7 (**permalink**) 26-09-2011, 09:47 PM

Hmmm...interesting!
The main reason I said dunnock over sparrow is because I rarely see any sparrows in my garden. Haven't seen any in over two months (at least)!

Hopefully one day I will be even half as good at this ID lark as you are dogghound!!

Anywhoo, thanks for taking a look and letting me know what you think, I will have to consider some anti cat things. I like cats, but I don't want them killing my birds :-K

tigertom · #8 (**permalink**) 26-09-2011, 10:03 PM

If you have a cat visiting after birds they will often try and lie up in wait, in cover to pounce from if you can work out were these may be, get some very thorny rose cuttings and put them there this can put them off lie in up in these places,

MIKE

Pipa · #9 (**permalink**) 26-09-2011, 10:57 PM

If that is all that was left of the bird.. that was one hungry cat.. we've had bird bodies before from cat captures and in all my life i've never seen them eat so much of a bird

hels · #10 (**permalink**) 26-09-2011, 11:25 PM

Mike...that's a great idea, thanks. There is one spot where I have seen a cat sitting occasionally over the last few weeks; I've been keeping an eye on him. He never really seemed that interested in the birds but I guess natural instincts win out sooner or later! I will get myself some thorny thorns!!

Pipa...you know, that's exactly what I thought, I was expecting to find a half chewed body or something. My garden is a bit overgrown at the mo, so it's possible I missed it! The other thought that did occur is that possibly the bird wasn't killed in my garden...with it being a sparrow, which I haven't had any of for a while. I don't know how likely that is tho'