Sparrow hawk hunting gold finch on our feeder

Sunrider

I wish I had a Sparrowhawk visiting my garden that regularly, count yourself lucky!

No idea what happened in the post before the previous!

Too early for gin and tonic Marjus

Hi Jay, firstly welcome to the forum.

I am glad you raised this question as I have been wondering the same thing?  We have lost several goldfinches to a sparrow hawk who visits our garden for his meals, plus at least two chaffinches that we know of and I think it caught one of our doves yesterday, and the doves' two youngsters haven't been around for several days! Today we have noticed a wood pigeon limping and a lot of his feathers look as if they have been tugged at suggesting a tug of war! We also spotted a multitude of feathers in our garden hedge.

I was very excited when I first saw a sparrow hawk in our garden and got some beautiful photos of him which I have posted previously. However, when I captured this picture a few days ago outside our lounge window I was not a happy bunny.

Like you, my husband and I have considered whether we are unwittingly providing a fast food service for the sparrow hawk and it would be best to stop feeding our regular garden friends. But, this beggars the question of whether our regular visitors would survive, especially at this time of the year when they have young to feed. 

I wish there was an easy answer, but it's not that simple, and I also appreciate that sparrow hawks have to eat and feed their young. I am trying to stay objective rather than over-reacting, but am finding it hard when so many of our much loved garden visitors are getting  caught in the claws of the sparrow hawk. 

Jan

Yes what Alan says about sighting feeders really close to bushes really important to foil Hawk.

I agree re shrubs and bushes....so long as they're not an ambush location for cats.

Appreciate your comment Sooty, but there seems to be no stopping the sparrow hawks when they are on a mission. Our feeders are right next door to a safe haven for the little birds (which I am sure saves many) but the sparrow hawks are so quick and cause so much mayhem when they swoop that the small birds panic and fly off in all directions (making them an easy target). I've tried capturing the mayhem on camera but it happens so fast as yet I have found it impossible. However, from what I have witnessed, the sparrow hawk must sit on the roof of our bungalow just watching and waiting. We recently tried to rescue a goldfinch who hit one or our windows in blind panic when the sparrow hawk swooped, sadly to no avail as the poor little bird broke its neck in the process.

If the Sparrowhawk doesn't catch it's food in our gardens, it most certainly will in someone else's garden or elsewhere in it's territory. It is part of a food chain and we seem to feel sorry for certain parts of the food chain at the expense of the other parts. As has been said many times, to see birds hunting successfully for all their different foods is a good sign that things are going well. We can't pick and choose which bits we want to see and which bits we want to try and interfere with. In most cases, small birds have a very short life span and the birds we see one year are unlikely to be the same birds we see in future years.

"In the case of our Robins, the life expectancy is 1.1 years. Most of our common small birds have similar survival rates and life expectancies.  Roughly a half of all the adult birds and nearly ALL the baby birds you see will be dead in a years time. It’s a sad thought, but this has to happen if the population is to remain roughly constant. (Generally, large birds and seabirds live longer than small birds.)"  Reference: How long does a bird live? Dr Mike Hounsome

So trying to stop cats climbing trees, or Magpies raiding nests, or Sparrowhawks hunting for their food is all rather futile (sorry if that sounds rather a harsh word). Let's just enjoy nature in all its forms.

What we can do, is to keep supporting wildlife in more productive ways - offering food, yes, but also planting useful flowers and shrubs, writing to politicians to help promote sustainable ways of farming and allowing wildlife to flourish alongside our farms - supporting the work of the RSPB and similar organisations. These are all big things that do make a difference in the medium and longer term - a real legacy for future generations who will hopefully, also see Sparrowhawks hunting small birds in our gardens - what could be more wonderful?

Hi Birdwoman of course you are correct about the agility of Sparrow Hawk but for sure sighting feeders near  bushes they will catch less birds.

GeoDave---no way are cats part of nature they are simply something to amuse humans and are very destructive except a very occasional one that is controlled in some way.Have nothing against people having cats but at least lets not paper over the damage they do and are definitely not part of wild nature.

I do appreciate the food chain argument and have worried about the sparrow hawks that target the smaller birds in our area.  Am I enticing birds into my garden for the pleasure of watching and hearing them and thereby placing them in danger? I feed high energy foods so that they need not stay long and I'm out before dawn putting out food in the winter and topping up feeders so there's always food available.

They are less exposed when there is cover nearby but a sparrow hawk will follow birds into bushes. I have some thorny shrubs strategically placed in my garden now to try to provide more cover as the hawks won't go where they can damage their feathers.

Even so, the sparrow hawks will take birds. They need to live and breed as well.

I know it is possible to discourage cats and that's what I do. Sparrow hawks don't have the luxury of choice about their foods.