help stopping a sparrow hawk killing feeding birds

Question

We have between 20 and 50 birds coming to our various feeders every day- fantastic to watch, but this number has attracted a sparrow hawk, who now comes every day to grab its own meal. This has included chaffinches, gold finches, three kinds of tit, doves.... Infact, basically anything except the wood pigeons I would be happy for it to kill and drag off. We have now moved the feeders to different parts of the garden, under trees, etc. The sparrowhawk now just makes a circuit of each area, flying right into the bushes and branches to grab its prey. Please can anyone advise what we should do?

Alan w · Answer

Hi Gardener .Unfortunately I have become an expert on sparrowhawks ! Like you I have had a terrible time with them targeting my garden birds .I keep my main nut feeders in a netted hedge of 3 inch sq nylon .This has been a great help .Also Ive a Garden eye balloon but that doesn't seem to deter the hawks too much .I think tall bamboo sticks in the flight path of a potential attack are a great help to the targeted birds .I hope this helps .The less sparrow hawks the better from my point of view .Although cats are probably a much worse predator .

Tern · Answer

I know I'm not being much of a help but do remember sparrowhawks need to eat too. I'd be thrilled if I had one in my garden - they are such handsome birds. Yes, it can be a bit gruesome watching it hunt but that's how nature works. 
 IF YOU REALLY don't want it, send it over here!! (no, not really!)

Woodpecker · Answer

Hi gardener 
 You seem to have done everything that you possibly can to help your birds, but the sparrowhawk is visiting because you have such a healthy bird population in your area. 
 They aren't usually successful every day, and they also have to eat to survive just like all other birds. 
 There have been many similar threads on this topic. 
 On the main Browse Forums page click on the sparrowhawk Tag to see some of them for more information

Sheena · Answer

Hi gardener,i have to agree with what has been said. 
 The fact you have the Hawk visit means you have a healthy supply of birds.They are a gorgeous bird and a compliment to your garden.A lot of us have it visit but not much you can do except enable your birds to get from the feeders into cover as quickly as possible.I watched the Hawk beating against the mature bushes back home but it didn't get anything and gave the birds a fighting chance .That is all you can do.If a bird is taken,do as i do, close your eyes and allow nature to take its course.I really understand how upsetting it is to watch.I would much rather have a bird taken by a Hawk because that is nature, than a domestic cat that doesn't need the food.

Sparrow · Answer

Hi Gardener, and welcome to the forum. 
 What more can I say? This is nature in the raw, and how things are meant to be. The hawk has to eat, and in spring will have babies to feed. 
 Why would you be happy to see a pigeon dragged off and eaten and not a finch? It is also a bird. We can't just feed the pretty ones, and by attracting so many to your garden you are feeding the hawk, which is good. 
 My advice is to sit back and try to enjoy seeing such a wonderful bird in action. You are lucky to have the chance. When my resident hawk pays a visit I am delighted. I must say though, mine is not successful that often. His misses far exceed his hits, so maybe you need more cover in your garden to give the little ones a fighting chance?

John B (not the sloop) · Answer

Welcome to the RSPB Community gardener 
 What you should do? Look the other way when the Sparrowhawk calls I guess. I regard Sparrowhawk visits as a bonus as my feeders are sustaining more than one link in the food chain. When you encourage wildlife into the garden it is almost impossible to be selective about it. You get what nature cares to send you. 
 Ask yourself why you are feeding birds in the first place. Are you trying to support wildlife or is it about having garden pets which need to conform to acceptable standards of behaviour to be welcome. 
 Sorry - sounds like I'm lecturing. It's great that you're going to the trouble and expense of feeding garden birds. Try not to worry about Sparrowhawk "shopping trips". Your garden bird community has lived alongside natural predators for millennia and will cope perfectly well with them. 
 JBNTS

Feed The Birds · Answer

I had same &lsquo;problem&rsquo; or &lsquo;experience&rsquo; and have fitted the attached which stops the sparrowhawk taking feeding birds. In flight they are fair game but I felt I was creating a feeding station for the sparrowhawk with 3 known kills in the time I was watching.