On the allotment plot, we have also had a sparrowhawk fly straight towards us and pluck a sparrow from a fence post just behind us. It’s quite a sight as you stare into a pair of yellow ringed eyes heading straight for you. Sparrowhawks can also fly almost at ground level in pursuit of prey. Other times they plunge from the sky with wings folded back.  Prey is often taken to a favourite perching post where it is plucked. Other times the prey is dealt with on the ground. When feeding on the ground the hawk will form an umbrella with its wings over its prey. This is called mantling. Being smaller males hunt smaller birds, such as sparrows and tits, and females hunt larger birds including collared doves, blackbirds, thrushes and starlings. The ones flying around our allotment site are possibly on the look out for homing pigeons too.

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I am afraid I have to confess that I have been known to interfere with nature (David Attenborough would be disgusted!). Whilst in my garden, a female sparrowhawk flew just over my head with a blackbird in its talons. The blackbird was screaming in panic. As luck would have it (for the blackbird), the sparrowhawk decided to land in our garden to feast. I am afraid I couldn’t stand to think that the poor blackbird was going to be torn apart there and then, so I scared the sparrowhawk away and the blackbird hopped under our shrubs. It must have been OK as it soon disappeared without so much as a thank you. The sparrowhawk no doubt would soon have found an alternative meal – well away from my ears and eyes! I’d never make a wildlife camera-woman.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The  birds in the photos above are juvenile birds.

 

Another close encounter was when we noticed the visitor below just outside of our window. I know it’s a sparrowhawk, and think it’s one of last year’s juveniles - maybe a female? It had landed on a large plant pot on a wall just outside of our window where it proceeded to pluck an unfortunate sparrow. It was no use trying to rescue this bird as it was already dead.

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As we watched it, the bird seemed to look directly from one of us to the other but seemed unperturbed.  It seemed more annoyed with the feathers that kept sticking to its beak.