Sparrowhawk [Archive] - Caithness.Org Forums

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Iffy

31-Aug-08, 15:47

hell raizer

31-Aug-08, 18:34

we had one in our back garden last night he landed in the tree at the bottom of the garden, when i opened the back door he took off. it's the first time i have seen him this year, like you iffy i dont like him killing the young birds in the garden :mad:

Kevin Milkins

31-Aug-08, 22:22

Hi people
I'm new to this cos i've just registered! You'll have to bear with me !!
Really wanted all you bird watchers out there in Caithness to know that we have a "resident" sparrowhawk in our back garden !! We've actually watched it twice now through binoculars (about 20 feet away) eating its prey - wings curved over its food whilst eating !! Hate to see it eating our garden birds but guess that's nature ! Most spectacular sight we've seen since the snipe ! We live in Ackergill and normally have the wren, robin and blackbird living in our garden! Oh not to mention the heron that my husband saw fly up the street a year ago !!

Hi Iffy and wellcome to the org.
I drive down the lane at the back of Ackergill often to get down to Reiss beech and have seen the Sparrowhawk on the lane quite a few times.
They are a fabulous bird to see going about its business.
My neighbour keeps pidgions and a few times he has chanced his arm with a kill and a couple of weeks ago there was a fuss out the back and the hawk came in and missed a pidgion but was succesfull with a sparrow.
They can be quite brazen.

Kenn

01-Sep-08, 10:01

Welcome Iffy, interesting post.
Haver often seen sparrowhawks around Caithness but not in your area so will keep my eyes open when next there.
Raptors are such wonderful birds but I quite agree that their hunting habits can some times be distressing.I get sparrowhawks in the garden here too much to the chagrine of my resident sparrows.
However, I feel priviledged to get such a magnificent bird visiting and nature must take it's course.

Sapphire2803

04-Sep-08, 13:54

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3183/2827968984_c57e69b024.jpg?v=0

I think I have a lady friend for him in my garden :D

Iffy

04-Sep-08, 22:55

Hey Sapphire

That is a great photo - think my garden guy has gone to meet your garden gal as we haven't seen him for about a week now !!!!!

spurtle

07-Sep-08, 21:02

Hey Sapphire

That is a great photo - think my garden guy has gone to meet your garden gal as we haven't seen him for about a week now !!!!!

Picture on front page of the org is also a sparrowhawk, not a peregrine, as per the caption. I was driving into Wick the other day, and saw a sparrowhawk tumbling down the grass bank in front of the hospital from where it landed in the road with a bird it had obviously just knocked down. It was not going to let go, so they fell together. I hope the bus coming just after me did not squash it!

Ricco

08-Sep-08, 19:45

Picture on front page of the org is also a sparrowhawk, not a peregrine, as per the caption. I was driving into Wick the other day, and saw a sparrowhawk tumbling down the grass bank in front of the hospital from where it landed in the road with a bird it had obviously just knocked down. It was not going to let go, so they fell together. I hope the bus coming just after me did not squash it!

Quite agree - instantly recognised it as a sparrowhawk. Excellent photo and lucky you. We sometimes get one sweeping through our garden - took a squirrel of the shed roof once.

porshiepoo

09-Sep-08, 12:10

I saw one on our land the other day. I was convinced it was a SparrowHawk until I saw it in flight. Sparrowhawks have Broad Blunt wings in flight and this one had longer wings and an anchor like appearance in flight so I guess mine was a Peregrine.

highlander

09-Sep-08, 12:40

A few weeks ago this happened in my garden, i heard a terrible din outside thinking that a cat had got a bird, i ran out screeming like a banchee then i noticed it was a sparrowhawk attacking a blackbird, the sparrowhawk started to fly away then turned to get at the bird again, gladly with all my noise it did take off without the blackbird, both going in different directions, this i thought was just a one off, but last night the same thing happened, we get a lot of buzzards, sparrowhawks, kestrels around about, but never have i witnessed them attacking birds in the garden.

MFS

10-Sep-08, 11:26

The bird posted on front page I am sure was a Peregrine as take off was as porshiepop described unfortunately I did not get a photo of this as take off was too quick

porshiepoo

11-Sep-08, 16:46

It's a difficult one and I am by no means an expert. I guess it would be easier to identify in flight.
The one on the org homepage does look to be a Sparrowhawk judging by the direction of barring on the chest and the fact that Peregrines have black heads and a mustache and the one in the photo obviously doesn't. Having said that, I guess a juvenile could be different?
The contradiction though is that MFS has confirmed that it's flight is that of a Peregrine, so I guess I don't really have a clue. lol.
As for the one on this page, it certainly looks like a Sparrowhawk to me and a female at that judging by the stripe above the eye.

Maybe we'll get a shot of one of these two birds in flight soon! If I remember correctly the Sparrowhawk will have about 5 bars on its tail whereas the Peregrine will have a short tail (although I don't know what that is in comparison to lol) Hmmmmm, it could even be the other way around. :confused

inorg

11-Sep-08, 23:11

Just done some checking and juvenile peregrines do have the same distintive head markings as pointed out by Porshie although they are not quite to dark as in a fully fledged adult.

Kenn

12-Sep-08, 20:08

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i316/kenliz/2pegs300_tcm9-140600.jpg

Kenn

12-Sep-08, 20:09

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i316/kenliz/sparrowhawk25.jpg

These two show the different wing formation and the differing colours, hope they will be of assistance with identifying.
Pictures courtesy of The RSPB