Opportunistic (or Lucky Sparrowhawk)

Yesterday I was stood at the back door having a brew watching the birds feeding when all of a sudden everything scattered and the alarm calls went out as a sparrowhawk shot in from the neighbouring field. It failed initially and settled on a branch in a hawthorn tree above my shed and stayed there for a good 10 minutes or so...

After which time I could see a few birds further down the hedge starting to come out of cover and then to my amazement a male sparrow hopped up from the side of my shed and on to a small branch about a foot in front of the sparrowhawk but facing away from it ............without going into all the gory details you can guess the rest, the female sparrowhawk wasn't going to turn down the opportunity of making a meal of this rather silly sparrow.....and the rest as they say was history..easiest meal she probably ever caught and a great sight for me

 

A few years ago I caught sight of a male Sparrowhawk stripping feathers from a bird in my front garden. A lovely looking bird but I'm glad I'm not on the receiving end.

 

I disturbed one eating a Blackbirds brain in the pillbox. A tense moment as we were both in there together and it had sharper claws than me

 

Interesting. Have to look up the pic of a sparrowhawk. We have beautiful hawks out here and (not beautiful ) vultures, and if lucky a bald eagle will show up. Never seen a hawk grab a bird. I guess there are enough other things for them here. We do have --I think they are called great horn owls, who capture squirrels and eat them, you know they are around if you see little fur balls, which is spit up from the owls. And you can, hear high squeel noises at night at the capture. Our hawks seem territorial, stationed almost on the same tree watching below.
When we vacation in Key West, there is always a Sea Hawk positioned at the corner of the house we stay in, he studies the ocean in front of him. And then suddenly off he goes, one swope in a certain spot and a fish is in his claws, then he flys elsewhere to eat it.

 

We have brief visits from one now and then but Iv'e not seen her catch anything.
They like the Buzzard have increased in number over the last twenty yeas or so whereas the Kestrel has declined.

 

Here's mine

 

I have a resident sparrow hawk in the area , plus a peregrine

As some of you know I was thinking of having Dove Cote , its put me off now.

I know its nature , but they soon know where to look as in bird tables etc for a slight snack on the wing .

Jiffy cracker photos how did you manage to take them as they are easily spooked


Spruce

 

I was buy the back door with at the time a point and shoot camera, and it landed and i manage to take 3 pic's then it flew off, no more than 7 feet away
Spruce

 

Jiffy, thanks for the pic. Nope never seen one around here like that. Our hawks have light colored stripped wings and head, and cream chests . Or a pure black, or the bald eagle . But we have little or no sparrows here also. We have- House wrens, chickadees, ruby finches, robins, yellow finches, doves, wood peckers (couple varieties), cardnalds. (spel) cat birds, wrens, ducks, geese, phesants (spel) wild turkeys, crows, starlings, black birds, red wing black bird, a few more forgot names right now.

 

I think the House Sparrow and Starling were introduced to the US (swapped for the Grey Squirrel)
The only bird of prey I saw close up on our US tour was the Bald Eagle.
We have Marsh and Hen Harriers around here but I've not seen one for a week or so.