Sparrowhawk

[jmbarritt]

Hello, I'm new to this site but just wanted to report to people who would be interested that a sparrowhawk landed in my garden this lunchtime with a pigeon it had killed and was clearly so intent on eating that even when i went outside it merely hopped about a metre further away and carried on.

[htcdude]

Hi jmbarritt and welcome to the forum

Nice report

This time of year there seem to be more reports of Sparrowhawks around gardens. I guess they're picking up any migratory birds or birds that are returning to gardens to feed

Nige

[jmbarritt]

Thanks; what surprised me further is that I live in Portsmouth and the Great South Run was going on here today which meant there were at least two helicopters hovering nearby. I guess they must have distracted the pigeon but not the sparrowhawk.

[shenk1]

I think its a girl , especially if its got a pigeon (Females are about 1.5 times the size of the males and more striped/less coloured[males are reddish in the breast and face] )

Welcome to WAB

[jmbarritt]

Ahh, I thought it seemed a lot bigger than the one I saw last year - that explains it. Thanks

[ChrisKten]

I'm fortunate to see Sparrowhawks often in my garden, but many people never do. So you did well to see this adult female with her meal.

Sparrowhawks won't leave a meal unless they have to, and even though a large female can fly with a Pigeon in her talons, she'd much rather eat most of it and carry off the rest (IME).

Earlier this year a female killed and ate a Pigeon in my garden; less than 10 yards away was workmen using a Digger. She took over an hour to eat most of the Pigeon, even puffing herself up a few times when the Squirrels got too close.

Well done for getting a picture too.

[jmbarritt]

Thanks; she was also there for more than an hour but unfortunately had taken her meal behind some shrubs after I went outside (I took the picture through the window). I don't think there was much left when she finally flew off.

[jmbarritt]

I have just transferred and cropped another picture of the sparrowhawk, this one was taken on my phone just after she first landed outside my patio doors.

[stevecurtis]

They seem very bold when they have food I was lucky to get a bit of video of a Sparrowhawk with a Swift earlier in the year not very nice but interesting.
Sparrowhawk and Swift Video | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

All the best Steve

[billybirder]

Ughh gross.. it looked like the swift was still alive Nature is very unpretty sometimes!