One flew into my wife as she cornered our bungalow - it was being mobbed by several other birds, chaos ensued as the chase barrelled around Jen's legs!
hate sparrowhawks as they pick up our small garden birds used to have lots of greatspoted woodpeakers here down to two or three pairs now, and there the green finch is disapearing
Yes - what an amazing sight to see a sparrowhawk swoop through your garden! Sadly, the one who hunts here isn't big enough yet to threaten the flock of pigeons which are the bane of my life, so it is usually the bluetits or sparrows who get caught. I live in hope, though, that one day a large female will start to hunt in Cardiff - then watch out, you pigeons - aka flying rats!!!
In reply to Helen about sparrowhawks eating all the birds in its terratory, I disagree. We have these birds frequently in our garden, and I often see them high up flying around, and our bird population is thriving. I feed the birds all year round and their number has not dropped.
yes I spotted a sparrow hawk about 2weeks ago in our Allotment in Coventry perched on the neighbours entrance. My husband went out to check what it was and it flew off low over head.at first we thought it was a pigeon hence investigating it.
100,000 pairs of sparrow hawks,each bird needs to eat at least two small songbirds every day to survive.times that by 365 and then tell me you still think what a wonderfull bird.I see nothing great in witnessing a sparrowhawk catch a bird and pluck and eat it while still alive.they don't look pretty they can't sing all they do is kill.if they are such a common sight in your gardens how can they be classed as rare and an endangerd speices?
I certainly have never said I enjoy seeing these birds catch and kill, I dont, but this is the way they survive. They have been around for a long long time, who are we to say they must be culled. Life is not always the way we want it to be. I disagree thatthe sparrowhawk is not pretty, it is a beautiful bird.
Mike - according to the RSPB website, the current estimate for sparrowhawk numbers is 41,100 breeding pairs and their numbers are directly regulated by the number of prey birds, not the other way round [unless man and poisons intervene which they still do]. Hawks, like wolves another misunderstood predator, NEVER overkill their hunting territory and if not culled by being hunted, the prey birds would die of natural causes including starvation and disease. If there are not enough prey birds the hawks do not breed or halve their brood to one - not like man.
I suggest the 'hawk haters' visit the RSPB website and enlighten themselves, hopefully losing some of their ill-founded prejudices on the way.
Posts
Great anecdote. Thanks for that.
needs to eat at least two small songbirds every day to survive.times that by 365 and then tell me you still think what a wonderfull bird.I see nothing great in witnessing a sparrowhawk catch a bird and pluck and eat it while still alive.they don't look pretty they can't sing all they do is kill.if they are such a common sight in your gardens how can they be classed as rare and an endangerd speices?
I suggest the 'hawk haters' visit the RSPB website and enlighten themselves, hopefully losing some of their ill-founded prejudices on the way.