Same down here in Devon Vicki, I dont like them, all the little birds have gone, although they always do this time of the year, there is a lot of food in the fields also still warm enough for insects for food.
I have had more wrens than usual, havent seen the nuthatch's for ages though.
Pheasants are our main birds at the moment, they come to the food everyday.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Why be concerned about a sparrowhawk taking what it has evolved to eat. Nearly all hawks feed on birds, rabbits, small rodents and other creature's, you don't get vegetarian raptors. It's all part of life and nature's rich tapestry. They are entitled to live like any other creature and feed as they have evolved to do. Songbirds are prey items for a number of predators. Just because we like one bird over another, doesn't mean we should discourage another species of bird. Persecution of raptors, led to the wiping out of the Red Kite in the UK. Other raptors are persecuted by game keepers and farmers, which has led to a huge reduction in their numbers. If you have a bird of prey visiting your garden be grateful and enjoy their spectacle.
People being influenced by the 'cuddly bunny' brigade and really soft in the head attitudes, fail to understand the basic rule in nature of only the fittest survive.
If you want an example of the rule of nature watch the David Attenborough series 'Life Story'.
Nature is an unstoppable force which we humans can never hope to fully control.
Our ingenuity has led us to the place we occupy today, but ultimately, nature will, by whatever means, lead to the destruction of the planet we live on.
Every creature has the right to live, even if we don't like or want them. The world would be a boring place if we kept things from eating each other, and we would certainly starve.
Nature rules us, we deceive ourselves if we think otherwise.
Leave the sparrowhawk alone!! Who has said otherwise, living very close to Dartmoor I am well aware of animal instincts, as I expect are most people on here, we have all watched Attenborough.. I dont think there are too many 'soft in the head' people here either
No one has said here that they will persecute the bird, I am definitely not of the 'fluffy bunny'brigade, in fact,
far from it. I just dont like to see birds taking young from the nests and ripping them apart.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Sparrowhawks regularly visit the garden. I havent seen them take a bird and I hope I never do. I have occasionally seen a flurry of feathers on the lawn so I suppose either it or the local cat has been successful. I once saw two magpies literally ripping apart a live bird in my garden and I've never felt the same about them since. However, I do appreciate that nature has to take it's course and I do feel honoured when the sparrow hawk sits on my fence and watches me sitting in the conservatory.
All I do is make sure that my bird feeding station is close to cover, its also in a corner of the garden that makes it difficult for the sparrowhawk to swoop down and get away with prey.
We have an occasional sparrowhawk and other raptors about. They rarely get anything as the feeders are all close to cover from climbers on trellis to shrubs and hedges where the small birds can take cover. I take the view that sparrowhawks need to eat too and usually only get the old or very stupid birds.
Don't like magpies but haven't had problems with them for several years but now I have jackdaws trying to nest on my chimney pots. I hope they don't start causing bivver with the small birds.
I feed the birds all year so they get through winter fit and well for a successful breeding season and then have energy to hunt for suitable food for their broods and my colonies of sparrows and tits have increased several fold.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Guys - sparrowhawks need to be culled in huge numbers before all the songbirds are eaten. Once the songbirds are wiped out, the sparrowhawks will turn on each other until there is one fat sparrowhawk left, which will then starve to death.
There just aren't that many sparrowhawks around. Songbirds are at greater danger from modern farming techniques and chemicals and migratory birds are at risk form being hunted by poor communities in their winter quarters or on tehir migratory path.
As long as enough of us feed birds all year and with appropriate food and cultivate our gardens in wildlife friendly ways to encourage insects and berries we should be able to keep some alive. Cuckoos, for example, are more at risk in Africa than in Britain and Europe.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Fishy maybe humans should be culled instead, not sparrowhawks. Nature was here long before us and will be here long after us. Human beings are more of a plague on nature than nature upon human beings.
Posts
Same down here in Devon Vicki, I dont like them, all the little birds have gone, although they always do this time of the year, there is a lot of food in the fields also still warm enough for insects for food.
I have had more wrens than usual, havent seen the nuthatch's for ages though.
Pheasants are our main birds at the moment, they come to the food everyday.
Why be concerned about a sparrowhawk taking what it has evolved to eat. Nearly all hawks feed on birds, rabbits, small rodents and other creature's, you don't get vegetarian raptors. It's all part of life and nature's rich tapestry. They are entitled to live like any other creature and feed as they have evolved to do. Songbirds are prey items for a number of predators. Just because we like one bird over another, doesn't mean we should discourage another species of bird. Persecution of raptors, led to the wiping out of the Red Kite in the UK. Other raptors are persecuted by game keepers and farmers, which has led to a huge reduction in their numbers. If you have a bird of prey visiting your garden be grateful and enjoy their spectacle.
People being influenced by the 'cuddly bunny' brigade and really soft in the head attitudes, fail to understand the basic rule in nature of only the fittest survive.
If you want an example of the rule of nature watch the David Attenborough series 'Life Story'.
Nature is an unstoppable force which we humans can never hope to fully control.
Our ingenuity has led us to the place we occupy today, but ultimately, nature will, by whatever means, lead to the destruction of the planet we live on.
Every creature has the right to live, even if we don't like or want them. The world would be a boring place if we kept things from eating each other, and we would certainly starve.
Nature rules us, we deceive ourselves if we think otherwise.
Leave the sparrowhawk alone.
With you all the way Dave
In the sticks near Peterborough
Leave the sparrowhawk alone!! Who has said otherwise, living very close to Dartmoor I am well aware of animal instincts, as I expect are most people on here, we have all watched Attenborough.. I dont think there are too many 'soft in the head' people here either
No one has said here that they will persecute the bird, I am definitely not of the 'fluffy bunny'brigade, in fact,
far from it. I just dont like to see birds taking young from the nests and ripping them apart.
Then don't watch Lyn.
Sparrowhawks regularly visit the garden. I havent seen them take a bird and I hope I never do. I have occasionally seen a flurry of feathers on the lawn so I suppose either it or the local cat has been successful. I once saw two magpies literally ripping apart a live bird in my garden and I've never felt the same about them since. However, I do appreciate that nature has to take it's course and I do feel honoured when the sparrow hawk sits on my fence and watches me sitting in the conservatory.
All I do is make sure that my bird feeding station is close to cover, its also in a corner of the garden that makes it difficult for the sparrowhawk to swoop down and get away with prey.
We have an occasional sparrowhawk and other raptors about. They rarely get anything as the feeders are all close to cover from climbers on trellis to shrubs and hedges where the small birds can take cover. I take the view that sparrowhawks need to eat too and usually only get the old or very stupid birds.
Don't like magpies but haven't had problems with them for several years but now I have jackdaws trying to nest on my chimney pots. I hope they don't start causing bivver with the small birds.
I feed the birds all year so they get through winter fit and well for a successful breeding season and then have energy to hunt for suitable food for their broods and my colonies of sparrows and tits have increased several fold.
Guys - sparrowhawks need to be culled in huge numbers before all the songbirds are eaten. Once the songbirds are wiped out, the sparrowhawks will turn on each other until there is one fat sparrowhawk left, which will then starve to death.
There just aren't that many sparrowhawks around. Songbirds are at greater danger from modern farming techniques and chemicals and migratory birds are at risk form being hunted by poor communities in their winter quarters or on tehir migratory path.
As long as enough of us feed birds all year and with appropriate food and cultivate our gardens in wildlife friendly ways to encourage insects and berries we should be able to keep some alive. Cuckoos, for example, are more at risk in Africa than in Britain and Europe.
Fishy maybe humans should be culled instead, not sparrowhawks. Nature was here long before us and will be here long after us. Human beings are more of a plague on nature than nature upon human beings.