Hello,
I was on my daily walk here in North Manchester last week and noticed something out of the corner of my eye the other side of a hedgerow. First off I passed it off as a Pigeon but after walking a few yards further on and replaying in my mind what I thought I'd seen I decided to double-back and take a look. Low and behold it was indeed a Pigeon but with a Sparrowhawk perched on top of it. Nothing unusual about that but I started filming it through the branches and was no more than two yards away from it, yet it completely ignored my presence and continued to pluck the Pigeon ready for dispatch. I was quite struck by this apparent 'mesmeric' Sparrowhawk behaviour i.e. not caring that I was watching - almost as if it was in a feeding trance.
I shared the video with my local Barber a day or so later and he produced a similar video of a Sparrowhawk in the alleyway beside the shop, and same thing - he was able to approach really close and yet the Sparrowhawk didn't budge, just carried on with the kill.
Wondering if anyone else has witnessed this behaviour? Not a Sparrowhawk killing a pigeon but this apparent fearlessness of humans when it's dispatching it's prey?
When sparrowhawks have prey in their sights they are completely focused on that prey and undeterred by human presence; my husband came across a sprarrowhawk at the back of a shed and was just two metres away from where it was perched on a fence; it had eyes on a blackbird which it swooped down to catch. They are very patient birds that will perch and will concentrate solely on any prey, Another time we were sitting in the garden when one flew a metre above our head when it honed in on a bird behind us.
Just to add to what has already been said. If you had a dog with you, the hawk will have gone. They are very good at risk assessment (apart from during the chase/pursuit, when they're often reckless). Likewise, if the hawk didn't have the pigeon, or only partially had it under control, it would have gone.
Thanks for the reply!
Thanks for reply. This is actually what happened! The Sparrowhawk was fine with me watching but a bloke came around the corner walking a dog and it flew into the nearest tree! You can hear me talking to the guy with the dog at the end of the video. Pigeon was barely alive and could not fly and shortly after the Sparrowhawk returned and finished the job.
Sparrowhawks are lovely birds. I always enjoy seeing them.
I'm a wanderer.
A friend and I disturbed a kestrel in the work car park the other day. Kes was startled by our sudden appearance and let go of the feral pigeon it had just caught, which then made its escape, swiftly followed by Kes. Pigeons are very fast!
On a more related note, the same friend sent me some pics a while back of a sparrowhawk feasting on a wood pigeon in his back yard. He said that one wasn't too bothered by his presence.