Wildlife questions Should try to stop a bird of prey eating my garden birds?

Should try to stop a bird of prey eating my garden birds?

B. Troot 13/10/2022 15:22

There is a bird of prey, possibly a sparrow hawk, picking off the birds who come to my feeder. The feeder has a cage around it but the hawk can get its talons inside and grab unsuspecting birds. My dilemma is : should I try to protect the feeder and make it hawk-proof or should I let the hawk eat?

0 THOMO 13/10/2022 16:26

www.rspb.org.uk/.../
Wild Birds and the law. Including the law involving Birds of Prey in the UK. Link above!

Regards,

Ian.
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0 Clare 13/10/2022 17:23

No, you shouldn't. They have got to eat and they can only eat what they hunt. If it's any consolation you must have a healthy bird population in your part of the world as it can sustain a raptor.

Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
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0 Cunir 13/10/2022 19:42

i'm always impressed by my sparrowhawk on the rare occasions that I've managed to see him swoop in.
you don't get to see them in action very often because you have to be in the right place at the right time
and he's not always successful either -- I've never actually witnessed him catching anything
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