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Morning all,
The weather here at the moment is really horrid, wind howling and rain pouring down but the birds don't seem to be too bothered about it as they were all at the feeders. Even the squirrel has returned and is scoffing the monkey nuts. Whilst watching all of this, the birds suddently scattered and a large bird came through the connifer to land on the roof of our chimnea.
Much to my delight it was a sparrowhawk that sat for at least a minute and not put off at all that both me and OH were sitting in the conservatory. Not wishing to make any sudden movement we both stopped what we were doing, me midway taking a sip of coffee and OH just about to sneeze! .
I don't know enough unfortunately whether it was female or male. When I checked my book I'm still confused so could someone tell me. Alas no photo but it was predominantly rust red/brown on the underparts (I couldn't see any grey or white barring) and dark on the head and back. I think it would have sat for longer but the squirrel chased it away!
Since this incident it has been in twice so obviously very determined to get it's breakfast but I don't think I'm going to be quick enough to get a photo, me and OH are both suffering colds so reflexes a bit slow.
Thanks
Regards
Kerry
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kezmo6310/
hi Kemzo
Love Sparrowhawks and never tire of them.
Depending on what you did see the Sparrowhawks are different in size and colouration.
The pictures I took of the sparrowhawk in my Garden - the chest was plain coloured and she was quite a large female to look at too.
I had one in my last Garden and he was a Male due to the colouration of his chest area.
Kathy and Dave
Hi there
Kezmo - hope that you do not mind me adding these pictures/story to give you an idea how large your bird was that you saw.
These are pictures taken at the end of March this year with my Coolpix camera (at my last property in Bedford) and the pictures where taken the last minute - so they where not the best.
The story attached to these pictures
What a treat we had today after getting soaked through while out on out birding trip around the Priory at Bedford - yesterday Only a few minutes ago we had a Male Sparrow hawk in our garden. He was on the hunt for our Sparrows in our Hedge. He had dinner on his mind. He had the lovely rust coloured chest and you can see it in the pictures. The pictures are haphazard as we had to grab the camera quickly and it is only a Coolpix snap shot type. I was looking out over the garden because we had been doing some tidying up yesterday when he suddenly plopped down on our Green Recycle bin just outside the kitchen window. The bin is parked just in front of our Privet hedge, he then hopped onto the fence behind the bin then from there just dived into the hedge. I never expected that I thought he might have been more precious about his plumage and would not want to risk getting anything damaged with such thuggish behaviour. He chased out the Sparrows/birds who are hiding in there because the hedge shook about a bit and then he reappeared on the bin again. DING, DING round 2. He landed on the bin again then hopped on to our fence once more, and then jumps off and disappears into next doors garden. I thought oh well that was a treat getting such a close up look at him. Then he comes rocketing over the fence back into our garden does a sort of half loop and dives into the hedge again once more to try to chase out the sparrows. He is tenacious and cunning. DING, DING round 3. He landed on top of the bin again. Then this time he dives straight for the gap between the hedge and the fence and so into the back of the hedge again, foliage moving about a couple of birds come shooting out. Then he immerged out of the hedge again unsuccessful as he is on the bin watching the privet. DING, DING round 4. It’s the same ploy as round 2 he sneaks over to next doors back garden, then appears going at full throttle into our hedge, and this time birds fly out, out shoots a bird past our window heading south it is so fast can’t tell what it is but he is after it. What excitement! I feel so lucky to have been so close to the action The other half had seen a female sparrow hawk in the garden about a month ago I wonder if they are a pair?
My goodness! How exciting! I've never seen a sparrowhawk in our garden but I have found fairly neat heaps of feathers on the lawn a few times and assume this was from sparrowhawk attacks. Wood pigeons or collared doves were the most likely victims but am I right in thinking these would be too big for a sparrowhawk? If so then my culprits are buzzards. There were no bodies and cats usually spread the feathers around a bit and leave bits and pieces so probably not cats. Many years ago whilst at work I saw a sparrowhawk come hurtling down past my window and down into the little garden below. I couldn't see what it caught but it was great to see it anyway.
There is something new to learn everyday...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skylark58/
Hi SB! A sparrowhawk will certainly take a dove and a female probably might manage a woodie too.
Well done with the pics Blackbird!!
Kezmo - how fantastic for you! Very unfortunate for your OH though being about to sneeze!! Lol!! Once these birds 'clock' a good hunting location, I'm sure they make regular visits! I know I have one visit my garden but rarely see him or her! Did once have a sparrowhawk literally clamber through a barberry bush in the front garden after the sparrows dived in there for cover! Neither me nor the sparrows obviously expected him to follow them! It's also a particularly spiny barberry!!
Years ago, when I had a film camera, I had a male sit on a low fence between my neighbour and my garden, and he was very close to the house! I grabbed the camera and got full frame shots of him and even his head as he was so close...then I discovered that the camera I'd grabbed didn't have a film in... the air was blue for a few minutes!!
"All weeds are flowers, once you get to know them" (Eeyore)
My photos on Flickr
Hello all, thanks so much for trying to id the sparrowhawk for me.
Nissus - Thanks for the advice about the camcorder, it sounds a really good idea but no doubt if I did have one, with my luck it would be pointing off in the wrong direction!! I did though do as you suggested and had a look on other websites and ironically enough found a great shot on the RSPB's own Birds of Prey link - it was definitely an adult male that I saw so thanks for that.
Blackbird - thanks for your photos, you were definitely in the right place at the right time - what a thrilling few moments it must have been to see the sparrowhawk in real hunting mode.
MarJus - LOL, sorry to laugh at your misfortune but your last paragraph made me giggle! Your disappointment must have been huge when you realised there was no film - I think if it had been me the air would have been blue for a lot longer than a few minutes!! Knowing what a good photographer you are, I bet they would have been excellent shots too!
hi Kezmo
Thank you for kind reply.
The thing is with Sparrowhawks, is that they catch you so aware and you need to have your camera up and ready. It is so easy to be caught out with them, and they catch you with surprise.
Once they have made their kill it is an ideal opportunity to take a picture as it would take a lot to make them leave their 'dinner' plate.
Hi Marjus
Oh dear MarJus, I have having this vision of the video of the camera refusing to work eekk.. {help me auntie}
Tell you another thing to make you laugh this weekend. I have not emptied the memory card of the camera and lost a chance to get a good photo of a Coot and a Moorhead. eeekk.
Just shows we need to be aware of our equipment. Loved to have seen your photo's any day.
We live and learn.
We remember all of our 'silly' mistakes and that is the main thing,
My sightings of a sparrowhawk in my garden have been so fast, even if a camera and equipment were at the ready there wouldn't have been time to switch it on. It swoops down between our house and next door, so fast, straight into the leylandii hedge without stopping to worry about whether this will hurt or not, then straight out at the top and off and away, with or without a sparrow. I wish it would stop, but so far it hasn't.
Cheers, Linda.
See my photos on Flickr
Hi Sparrow,
Sparrowhawks are certainly masters of speed and ambush. Earlier this year I was sat in the hide near the shop at Lake Vyrnwy watching all the siskins and finches on the feeders, when in dashed a male Sparrowhawk and made off with a Greenfinch, if I had blinked I would have missed it... it was that fast! Everyone else in the hide held their breath in amazement.
Sparrowhawks will often use both natural and man-made features to hide behind before surprising their prey.
Jennifer T said: Hi Sparrow, Sparrowhawks are certainly masters of speed and ambush. Earlier this year I was sat in the hide near the shop at Lake Vyrnwy watching all the siskins and finches on the feeders, when in dashed a male Sparrowhawk and made off with a Greenfinch, if I had blinked I would have missed it... it was that fast! Everyone else in the hide held their breath in amazement. Sparrowhawks will often use both natural and man-made features to hide behind before surprising their prey.
I've seen the Sparrowhawks at Lake Vyrnwy too - dashed past the shop, took something off the bird table outside and straight into the big hedge next to the cafe! Everyone was speechless!
We get a female Sparrowhawk show up in our garden quite often - and she can be a nasty piece of work! She very rarely goes for the Sparrows either, its Collared Doves and Woodpigeons she catches.
The male came early in the year when we had that bad snow and caught a Starling (which was making the most awful screaming noise!), something disturbed him and he threw the Starling into the hedge and came back for it later. I don't know about anyone else but that was behaviour I'd never seen before.
We leave the conifers at the side of the house to grow close the the wall so the female hasn't got such a direct route into our garden - she usually sits on the neighbour's roof opposite and attacks from there.