Sparrowhawk ...through the kitchen window

Funny thing is Amy, my husband Barry saw one in our garden today. We don't see them very often. I have never managed to take a photo of one.

Superb photo Amy.

I am glad the little birds escaped and hope the sparrow hawk wasn't too hungry!

Great picture Amy.

We have them all the time here Linda I don't mind them catching Pigeons but not the little birds , The little Robin & Sparrow were eventually brave enough to leave Chris ,I put some meal worms onto their feeding station for them ...
Thanks Klahanie :o)

Lovely view of his pinky bib Amy. Usually all I see is their striped pyjamas as they tear little birds to pieces. Not seen one yet here, but we could do with one as we have far too many house sparrows roosting in our eaves all year round! have seen a Kestrel twice in the same place recently, but not in my garden. Buzzards everywhere of course. Great photo!

A fantastic shot Amy, always been too quick for me.

That's a good description of them Karen I shall always think of them in PG's from now on Lol Thanks Angela this one was busy trying to snatch its prey inside the shrub , Its not nice finding the remains of their kill Hb ,I can't help wondering how much they suffered even though I know the Hawk has to eat and that its nature ....

Great photo Amy of him/her not sure how you tell them apart. I do feel sorry for all the little birds, I have been trying to feed them but I get so many crows and squirrels in the garden it is costing me a fortune. I put out an apple for the black birds every day. This morning I caught the squirrel running of with the hole apple in his mouth. little blighter!

superb photo Amy, glad the little ones weren't caught.

I'm glad the sparrow and robin managed to stay out of his clutches. It's one of those occasions when we can be very torn. The Sparrowhawk is a beautiful bird and we wouldn't want him to be hungry, but by the same standard we don't want the little birds to be his lunch. Such is nature. Great picture though.

I know what you mean Teds we buy black sunflower seeds in 25 kilo bags from a farm and they don't last very long it is expensive that would have made a good photo with your squirrel running off with the apple Lol... Thanks Val / Waddy I'm sure he would have grabbed one if I hadn't been there , the problem is you do get to know your 'regulars ' they show no fear and can be an easy target :o(

Fantastic photo Amy! What a beautiful, majestic bird he is
although we don't like it when they're in our gardens! Thank goodness Sparrow and Robin kept schtum hidden in the twigs and managed to escape him. You're right, we do get to know our 'regulars' and we get very attached to them don't we?

That's funny about the squirrel Teds! I know it's expensive, but I miss feeding the birds. We have so many house sparrows in our eaves that I made a conscious decision not to feed them this winter. Apart from anything else, the Sparrows are aggressive and chase all the other birds away. So, no garden visitors for me this year, but the good news is we haven't had a mouse in the loft for months now! I'm sure the lack of bird food makes a big difference to the mice as well. I'm hoping that nature will 'thin out' the Sparrows a bit. I like the way they keep the pests down in the garden, but I don't enjoy the poo all over the patio, or the lack of bird variety as they are all chased off by the flock of grey squawkers...and boy, are they vocal!

It is a funny thing Karern but we don't seem to get any sparrows in our garden here, and we never had them at the cottage very often. The RSBP said that the numbers of house sparrows are in decline in many parts of the country. Looks like they are moving to Scotland as the land warms up here in the southwest. Sorry they are such pests in your garden. I have stopped feeding the Squirrels here as they have dug up my tulip bulbs. I had planted a load in pots down it the dell. I will have to net the bulbs next year, I was so looking forward to a lovely display :-(

That's a real pity Teds...well I'm waiting to see how many of my bulbs have been plundered by mice! There's no sign of any of my winter aconites...yet.

Thanks Janey I'm glad you liked it , ' my ' birds come to meet me when its feeding time if I'm later then usual they sit and stare at the kitchen window as if to say , "come on then, whats keeping you " x
We have some Sparrows Karen but Like you Teds I'm sure I read where they are in decline ,you must be right they are all visiting Karen :o))

Yup, eye are all living chez moi now, ever single bloomin one! ;)

He looks like he means business! I agree with above - great photo. I will nominate you!

Thank you Bg thats kind of you ,I have to say it was pure luck as normally when I take a photo through the window its ruined with the glare back from the glass ....

It's a hard thing, nature. glad the little birds escaped his clutches but sad that he's hungry. The little birds here are getting scarce due to the use of some nasty pesticides on corn and soybeans. have only seen three nuthatches, three starlings, a few little house sparrows, a few chickadees, downy and hairy woodpeckers and the usual declension of bluejays. So far no birds of prey. We usually lose a squirrel or two to the big birds as well. He's a handsome chappy, I wonder, is his wing splayed like that because of where he's sitting...or does he have a wing problem?

Superb photo, you were so on the ball there Amy with your camera on the ready. I have never yet managed to get a halfway decent one of our resident sparrowhawk. I should think that he is mantling here, quite a few birds of prey do it when they are protecting their kill and scaring off competitors, but maybe his is a halfhearted "mantling" as his prey is still alive - and got away!- He is a male as the girls are bigger and brown on top. I would love to see some more if you can get him to oblige..

gorgeous photo! how far were you away?

Oh No Lori thats bad news ! he was sitting awkwardly he was hopping all over the shrub trying to find a way in he was also circling the base of the shrub I suspect trying to frighten the birds out .. Thanks Resi they are often in our garden I have several photos I have some of my husband holding one in his hands it had flown into a shed and was flapping at the window my husband was able to take hold of it to set it free, I'll look it up on here and tell you where to find it , this photo was about 3ft away Fran the shrub is just outside the kitchen window ...

Resi look at my Blog dated 1st Nov. 2012 .. " A bird in the hand " to see a close up of its amazing eyes !

I had a look at that blog. What fantastic pictures and what an opportunity to actually hold and see raptor like this so close up. A memory to treasure.

Thanks for looking Resi , it's not something that happens often is it ? we believe the hawk was quite stunned from banging against the glass otherwise it would never have let OH handle it ,no harm done it soon recovered and flew off ....

Great picture Amy; I was reminded of a wonderful story,
from the 19th century regarding this bird. When the glass and steel Crystal Palace was built in London, people came to see this giant conservatory, with its exotic trees and plants; one big problem was that lots of pigeons who also thought it made a wonderful place to nest! The pigeon droppings made a terrible mess, which took the edge off, what should have been a unique experience. On her first visit to this building, Queen Victoria ordered that "something must be done" All sorts of thing were tried, without success. Victoria was not amused; she called in the Duke of Wellington, who took a look, and reported back to HM, "Sparra Hawks Ma'm"
It worked!

Super photo of the Sparrowhawk. We have one around here and they are magnificent birds. I know it seems cruel for the smaller birds to be caught but in Nature everything has to eat something.

I remember that blog! Will have to look it up for another read.

What a brilliant story David ,I wonder if they still have one to this day carrying on the good work ! I'm afraid we have to accept nature whether we like it or not Linda even if it is at times sad ..

Too true Amy. We also have Peregrines around here and they are lovely to see.

That must be a spectacular sight Linda we haven't anything so exotic !

Yes Amy they have been around the mill at Belper for serveral years now and have nested successfully. There is also another pair that nest on Derby Cathedral and they have a website to look at if you want to. Don't know the exact address, but if you type Peregrines and Derby Cathedral I'm sure you will find it. They usually have a webcam on their site and follow the progress of the hatchings and chicks.

Fantastic photo, Amy, and how thrilling to have it in the garden. Like you, I would have been hoping all the little birds escaped his eagle eye while also hoping that he could find something to eat!

Now why didn't I think of that Linda we have Peregrin Falcons on Norwich Cathedral as well ,last year we went to look at them I managed to get a very hazy photo of the Peregrin catching a pigeon to take back to its nest they reared 4 chicks and also have a webcam ,it must be something they are introducing to all cathedrals , I wonder how on earth do they make them stay there in the first place ? they're not natural to our area at least I don't know of any others !

Thank you Gill I suspect this Sparrowhawk knows we encourage birds into our garden by feeding them he's always on the lookout the chances are he will always catch something ,sad and I hate it when it happens but that's nature , I tried to rescue a blackbird from its clutches the other week he dropped it but it was to late :o(

I think the Peregrines are on the increase and take over the higher buildings as their domain, after all, we are taking over the natural habitats of these creatures so they have to adapt to the conditions of concrete and bricks. Have you had a look at any of the webcams yet Amy?

There used to be peregrines at Salisbury cathedral too. When i worked there i used to take my binocs with me for a quick scan, and often saw them. i believe they had been there for at least 50 years but only for winter roosting, i dont think they ever successfully nested. They need high cliffs, so as you said Lindak they have adapted so well.
Btw havent peregrines been suggested as a means of pigeon control in london?? Plenty of high buildings there.

Yes Linda its very similar to the webcam on Norwich Cathedral we can also follow it on the computer its very exciting to see new chicks hatch out .. I would be surprised if they haven't one in London after reading Davids story above Resi , when they are nesting and hatching on Norwich Cathedral there's always an army of photographers and huge telescopes each day which they allow the public to look through ...

In California we get many Red Tail Hawks. I stopped feeding the songbirds since it was like feeding them to the Hawks. Swoop down from a tree just feet away. Still,I feel for the Hawks..I see young ones harassed by Crows-lol. They look bullied.

I often wonder if I should stop feeding the birds Stan but I'm sure the regulars depend on us to help them through the winter also when the Hawk has been scared off by us he often doesn't come back for a while there are gaps in his visits ,its a difficult decision .......

Don't feel guilty Amy. I have a very small yard. The small birds don't have much room to spot a predator. Also,all my life I was a dog person. Especially loved my old Aussie. But after he passed, kittens showed up in my yard a week later. Now I have three cats!. So,its better I don't attract birds other then a Hummer feeder or a tall tree.
Ma Nature is all natural. I cant even keep fish in my small pond. Egrets and Raccoon's ate them long ago. I live next to the greenbelt...and those hills you see in my pics are full of critters at night.

Racoons? Feel lucky you don't have them in the UK. Think of a smart dog that can climb like a monkey and will eat anything.
Some of my nicest ferns have had their tips eaten. Aggravating-lol.

The Kittens obviously know you have a big kind heart and will look after them Stan , We have Egrets in the country but I've never seen a Racoon except on TV they sound to be a real nuisance :o(

Superb photo Amy. They are beautiful looking birds, just a shame, we have to see them feeding on smaller birds sometime. Last summer I went out to do some watering, about 9:30 pm. I walked out of the back door, to be greeted by a freshly killed pigeon, on the lawn. I suspected a sparrow hawk. I threw the pigeon into the hedge at the back of our house, as a snack for the local foxes. The following morning, the sparrow hawk, came back, looking for his breakfast ...... he was not best pleased .... in fact he looked quite angry !

LOL.. sorry Alan I couldn't help laughing I could just picture the Hawks face , I sometime rush out to rescue birds but once they have been caught they rarely survive :o(

<];~))

Oh, wow, it is strange. Falcons and other birds of prey here are very shy, they would never fly to the gardens, although we live close to the field and woods. Very strange. But the photo is excellent. I do not doubt, you are proud of it.

They are regular visitors here Kat they know we feed the birds and where to come to catch them ,it makes me cross but you cant stop natures way !

That´s true.