I am of course talking about the sparrowhawk! This time of year sees this species spreading out across the UK from breeding ranges and also an influx of birds from the north and east, following the mass movements of other birds such as winter thrushes, starlings and finches.
The autumn months are crucial for this years sparrowhawks who are now out on their own. Many won't make it through to next spring as the winter is unforgiving for this bird of prey. The autumn months are so vital as this is when they need to hone their hunting skills. They might be born with sharp senses and the physical attributes to make them a top predator but catching prey isn't easy, our native birds don't give up without a fight and have evolved strategies to avoid these predators. At best sparrowhawks make one successful hunt out of ten, they have to work extremely hard for their food.
During their learning they will make mistakes, unfortunately in many instances these mistakes are fatal, the frequent reports of dead sparrowhawks from window collisions to our team here tells a sad story. Popping a few transfers on the outside of the glass will reduce the risk of catching unsupecting birds of all species from this tragic accident. Those that get injured in pursuit of prey or simply don't get the hang of it won't survive the winter, if they can't hunt, they can't eat. So if you see a brown, coarsely speckled sparrowhawk in your garden this autumn wish him or her well as they will need all the luck in the world to make it through the next few months, let alone reach adulthood like the impressive female pictured below!
Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
Warden Intern at Otmoor.
What a beautiful bird, love that picture. We had one visit our garden today, spotted it coming in and perching on the apple tree just for a fleeting moment before she spotted me and flew away, not sure if she had a meal or not.
Lot to learn