The subject of cats is currently being discussed in the "General" section and the question of what, if any, damage they do to wildlife. A Sparrow Hawk has just taken a Starling from my bird table, about 10 feet from me. The noise from the poor bird was horrible and quite upsetting, especially as it was an adult and so possibly feeding young, but, unlike domestic cats, the Sparrow Hawk has to eat and I suspect there is no shortage of Starlings. Its still a bit of a shock when it happens right in front of you. Jim
Sparrow Hawk
- Thread starter JandP
- Start date
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Its just come back again though I dont think it took anything. Now the question is what should I do if I see it again, should I try to frighten it away or just let it alone? Its very easy to say its just nature and the bird has to eat but when it happens right in front of you and takes "your" birds that you have fed and watched in your garden its very hard not to try to save them. Jim.
Jim you just have to let nature take its course. I know it's hard but the same thing has happened to me and I know how sickening it is and how hard it is not to intervene. The kill is quick and rightly as you say, they have to eat. The difference with me is if I saw a cat with a bird in its mouth I would gladly shoot the cat if I had a gun. Cats are as bad, if not worse than, mink. They kill for the sheer pleasure of it, they dont need to be hungry. When I say cat I'm talking domestic cat, not wild cat, they too need to feed. On a final note I couldn't be cruel to a cat for no reason, I would have to catch it dumping in my garden or killing a bird and then it would get my boot up its jacksy. My sister had 3 Persians and they were real house cats, they never left home, in fact they were too idle to chase birds.
Like your 'starling' the sparrow hawk may be feeding young and so need the bird it took as food from you.
Nature can be cruel and the birds of prey bring this home to us with their actions. Better that than the cat etc catching and killing for pure pleasure and enjoyment.
It must also in some way keep the balance of nature stable and normal.
Tho we feel sickened at times to see these birds catch and rob our area of smaller birds its nice to see breeds that have been 'missing' for years slowly reestablishing themselves.
2 years ago we saw the return of buzzards to our area and this year spotted a red kite out on the prowl for food.
8/9 years ago would have seen us amazed at spotting a sparrow hawk overhead now it is a common site over our roads and hedgerows.
Oh and before you get the idea i`m a 'twitcher'-- I`m not,. I just enjoy seing nature as it presents itself to my eyes
Nature can be cruel and the birds of prey bring this home to us with their actions. Better that than the cat etc catching and killing for pure pleasure and enjoyment.
It must also in some way keep the balance of nature stable and normal.
Tho we feel sickened at times to see these birds catch and rob our area of smaller birds its nice to see breeds that have been 'missing' for years slowly reestablishing themselves.
2 years ago we saw the return of buzzards to our area and this year spotted a red kite out on the prowl for food.
8/9 years ago would have seen us amazed at spotting a sparrow hawk overhead now it is a common site over our roads and hedgerows.
Oh and before you get the idea i`m a 'twitcher'-- I`m not,. I just enjoy seing nature as it presents itself to my eyes
Exactly, and without the interference of man or their domesticated animals.Like your 'starling' the sparrow hawk may be feeding young and so need the bird it took as food from you.
Nature can be cruel and the birds of prey bring this home to us with their actions. Better that than the cat etc catching and killing for pure pleasure and enjoyment.
It must also in some way keep the balance of nature stable and normal.
Tho we feel sickened at times to see these birds catch and rob our area of smaller birds its nice to see breeds that have been 'missing' for years slowly reestablishing themselves.
2 years ago we saw the return of buzzards to our area and this year spotted a red kite out on the prowl for food.
8/9 years ago would have seen us amazed at spotting a sparrow hawk overhead now it is a common site over our roads and hedgerows.
Oh and before you get the idea i`m a 'twitcher'-- I`m not,. I just enjoy seing nature as it presents itself to my eyes
In fact, it is because of the interference of man that sparrow hawks visit gardens. You perhaps didn't notice sparrow hawks 8/9 years ago because they were then primarily birds of the countryside & fed on tree sparrows which were plentiful at the time. Intensive farming & the destruction of miles of hedgerows have drastically reduced the tree sparrow population & driven the sparrow hawk to prey on garden birds. Similarly, increased traffic & therefore roadkill and the amount of discarded fast food on our streets has caused the increase of the magpie & crow population, because they will feed on anything. These birds also like to feed on songbird eggs & fledglings and are taking over gardens in many areas.
Sue
Sue
Don't forget the gulls either Sue. Maureen said in another post that "We don't get sparrows any more". Thats because the House Sparrow population is on the decline. It might sound silly but Starlings too are on the decline, we sometimes think there seems a lot of them but thats because in the winter our population of Starlings are increased by migratory Starlings from Eastern Europe. In fact probably all our song/garden birds are on the decline and the RSPB say that the biggest killers are domestic cats. Its not all gloom and doom though. Since the banning of D.D.T. and other pesticides/weedkillers some birds and mammals have increased, especially Kestrels and Buzzards. Not too long ago on a large North Herefordshire estate (not mine hehheh!) the RSPB found 3 dead Red Kites. On investigation they found a shed load of banned poisons which they had used to poison bait. They took the case to court and guess who got found guilty, no not his Lordship but his gamekeeper.
Jim, I've just read in the Telegraph that hanging disused CDs in the trees will keep sparrow hawks away without disturbing song birds.Don't know why, but it might be worth a try.Its just come back again though I dont think it took anything. Now the question is what should I do if I see it again, should I try to frighten it away or just let it alone? Its very easy to say its just nature and the bird has to eat but when it happens right in front of you and takes "your" birds that you have fed and watched in your garden its very hard not to try to save them. Jim.
Thanks for that emmerson but should I try to stop them or just let them take the birds? The RSPB says that the birds they take wont make much difference to the total bird population and we should just enjoy the skill of the sparrow hawk. Easy to say but when you see it happen in your garden its very difficult not to intervene. JimIts just come back again though I dont think it took anything. Now the question is what should I do if I see it again, should I try to frighten it away or just let it alone? Its very easy to say its just nature and the bird has to eat but when it happens right in front of you and takes "your" birds that you have fed and watched in your garden its very hard not to try to save them. Jim.
Difficult isn't it? After all, we're all part of the food chain!Thanks for that emmerson but should I try to stop them or just let them take the birds? The RSPB says that the birds they take wont make much difference to the total bird population and we should just enjoy the skill of the sparrow hawk. Easy to say but when you see it happen in your garden its very difficult not to intervene. Jim
We have a nest of house martins in the eaves just outside the window where I'm typing this. as I write, a fledgling has just flown into the window, with obviously fatal result.Nature raw in tooth and claw.Ah well, it wouldn't have felt anything. sad though.
We tend to think on these things from a human perspective emmerson, with feelings, but I'm sure that birds etc. dont possess these. Their many instinct in life is the procreation of their species. When in the dales the other week there was two young rabbits feeding by a stone wall while close by was a corpse of an adult opened up by probably crows. I took this pic of them (without the corpse).
http://putfile.com/pic.php?pic=6/15404223970.jpg&s=f5
DOUBLE CLICK the thumbnail.
http://putfile.com/pic.php?pic=6/15404223970.jpg&s=f5
DOUBLE CLICK the thumbnail.
It may not have been fatal emmerson. I once made the mistake of picking up a "dead" greenfinch that had flown into the window at work and taking it inside. After a few minutes the bird recovered and flew around the room and I had the problem of trying to get it out again. They are often only stunned and if they are in a safe place they can recover.
This is turning out to be a real "birding" weekend! We will have Bill Odie on here next! We had a baby blue tit in the lounge this morning which came in the patio doors and now there is a grey partridge sat on the summerhouse making a rather stupid choo choo noise. A new batch of baby starlings have appeared so that will help to replace yesterdays loss but I expect the hawk will be back later for his sunday lunch, I just hope he does it quietly this time! Jim.
Just been out to replenish the bird table and there is a patch of feathers on the grass so it looks like he has been already. Jim.This is turning out to be a real "birding" weekend! We will have Bill Odie on here next! We had a baby blue tit in the lounge this morning which came in the patio doors and now there is a grey partridge sat on the summerhouse making a rather stupid choo choo noise. A new batch of baby starlings have appeared so that will help to replace yesterdays loss but I expect the hawk will be back later for his sunday lunch, I just hope he does it quietly this time! Jim.
Jim, I was watching from my garden a crow chasing a sparrow hawk one day , dive bombing him but the hawk just turned sideways and the crow missed. When he had chased him about 300 yards away from me the crow gave up and flew back. The sparrow hawk then turned and as staight as an arrow headed straight for me making me flinch. It hit a small bird just a few feet above my head in an Elderberry tree. The noise was awful but it didn't last. The hawk just stared at me, I couldn't see what species of bird he had because of its talons but it was robin sized. After fixing me with its beady eye it flew away with its kill. I too was sad because at the time I had a robin that was so tame it fed out of my hand and also came into the kitchen looking for scraps and I never saw that robin again. I kept telling myself that he died a natural death because they only live for about 2 years.
I have (well I have tried!) to change my thinking about sparrowhawks since yesterday . He has just been down again and I think he took a sparrow this time, not as much noise as the starling but still distressing. I had a good look at the rspb information on sparrowhawks on their website and it rather makes you feel sorry for them. They have a terrible mortality rate and only 1 in 2 nests produces any young and much of this is because of starvation. They also say that the sparrowhawk takes mainly sick and injured birds and so improves the general health of the songbird population and should be seen a benefit generally. Unfortunately these same sick and injured birds are the usual target of domestic cats. Jim.
Jim, with sparrowhawks you have to admire their skill and dexterity in catching prey. They are also a beautiful looking bird. When I was young sparrowhawks and kestrels were in such decline we never saw them, in spite of living on the edges of Sherwood Forest. It wasn't until about 1980 I saw my first buzzard, now they are a common sight. I suspect a lot are shot by landowners though for taking their hand reared pheasants. Like kites I'm hoping that someone might introduce eagle owls to this country, or any other nocturnal bird of prey big enough to hunt down mangy moggies. Then watch moggy owners keep their cats in at night hehhehheh!
Practical Caravan is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.
Facebook
Twitter