sparrowhawk (1 Viewer)

[blueshortwing]

Does anyone know if sparrow hawks have been known to nest on cliffs? I would appreciate any details, such as how often this occurs, and where about's its happened in the Uk. I can not find any reference to this, apart from its happens occasionally.

Thanks George.

 

[Nightranger]

Does anyone know if sparrow hawks have been known to nest on cliffs? I would appreciate any details, such as how often this occurs, and where about's its happened in the Uk. I can not find any reference to this, apart from its happens occasionally.

Thanks George.

Hi George,

I do not recall anything mentioned in Ian Newton's monograph but I suspect it is much like most birds in that they will go where there is food. In the case of the sparrowhawk I would imagine that they are not normally dominant enough over other species to hold a nest site or it would certainly be a more common occurrence. Obviously, peregrines will nest on cliffs but more critical would be the likely presence of various Corvids from the raven to communal sites occupied by jackdaws neither of which, would be good neighbours for the relatively lightly-built sparrowhawk. Having said that, kestrels sometimes make their living on cliffs so it could be as simple as sparrowhawks not preferring to hunt over open ground.

 

[blueshortwing]

Sparrowhawk

Thanks for the reply Ian, My thoughts on a nesting place was of a small quarry, maybe containing small shrubs as cover and not sea cliffs as some people may be thinking of. Judging by the response I have had so far even this is unheard of, so perhaps occasional nesting on cliff ledges should read, very occasional or even a rare occurrence instead.

If no one has even heard of this, can I dare to think maybe the books are not quite accurate.

Thanks. George.

 

[Nightranger]

Thanks for the reply Ian, My thoughts on a nesting place was of a small quarry, maybe containing small shrubs as cover and not sea cliffs as some people may be thinking of. Judging by the response I have had so far even this is unheard of, so perhaps occasional nesting on cliff ledges should read, very occasional or even a rare occurrence instead.

If no one has even heard of this, can I dare to think maybe the books are not quite accurate.

Thanks. George.

George, I am pleased that you have found an example of the bird books being wrong, it is what makes this hobby so exciting at times. Having said that, one of the problems with presenting generalised comments about bird behaviour is that there are bound to be some very unusual exceptions to the rule. I suppose birds are so good at exploiting situations that it is almost impossible to cover every eventuality, especially if the behaviour is not repeated. If this is a nest you are able to view on a regular basis then it would certainly be worth making detailed notes and sending them to your local conservation organisation.

 

[blueshortwing]

Hi Ian, I didnt say the books were wrong, only sometimes they are not quite right|;| I 100% agree with you about bird behaviour, its not wise to lay down rules, stating that it must all way be so.

This year has been very exciting so far, I have seen some things I have never seen before, concerning the behaviour between two nesting pairs of sparrowhawks. I hope to get some film, when the rain decides to stop.

George.

 

[Nightranger]

This year has been very exciting so far, I have seen some things I have never seen before, concerning the behaviour between two nesting pairs of sparrowhawks. I hope to get some film, when the rain decides to stop.

George.

Cool! Sparrows are my reall passion but I understand a lot about predator - prey relationships and sparrowhawks were flung at me (in a nice kind of way) when I worked at the RSPB so I have to admit that I really like them too. Anyway, it is nice just to talk about any bird of prey instead of defending them so I hope you can publish the film somewhere for us all to see.

Ian

 

[Himalaya]

If Kestrels can survive the cliffs with all the Corvids, I am sure Sparrowhawks can. I think Sparrowhawks would feel the risk from Corvids in trees as well.

Then you have Merlins which are ground nesters and they can survive Corvids. I did read somewhere that Hen Harriers preferred to nest not too far from Merlins as they were better at driving birds like Raven away.

Hi George,

I do not recall anything mentioned in Ian Newton's monograph but I suspect it is much like most birds in that they will go where there is food. In the case of the sparrowhawk I would imagine that they are not normally dominant enough over other species to hold a nest site or it would certainly be a more common occurrence. Obviously, peregrines will nest on cliffs but more critical would be the likely presence of various Corvids from the raven to communal sites occupied by jackdaws neither of which, would be good neighbours for the relatively lightly-built sparrowhawk. Having said that, kestrels sometimes make their living on cliffs so it could be as simple as sparrowhawks not preferring to hunt over open ground.

 

[Nightranger]

If Kestrels can survive the cliffs with all the Corvids, I am sure Sparrowhawks can. I think Sparrowhawks would feel the risk from Corvids in trees as well.

Then you have Merlins which are ground nesters and they can survive Corvids. I did read somewhere that Hen Harriers preferred to nest not too far from Merlins as they were better at driving birds like Raven away.

I think the end conclusion is that there are no carved-in-stone rules. Irrespective of size though, the examples you have cited here are all falcons and of course, all are quite a bit more physically robust than sparrowhawks. Personally, it is probably more to do with prey type and availability than actual choice of site habitat (as George's observations suggest) but even a female sparrowhawk is quite a delicate creature (except to its intended prey) compared with the muscle-bound falcons. This is reflected in the way they both hunt and kill prey and it may be significant that the hobby is a little over-specialised and hence why it generally chooses to nest in trees.

BTW, I love discussions like this because it is a chance to exercise ideas (and reject them if necessary) and I confess this subject is something I had never thought about until George raised the question.

 

[blueshortwing]

Sparrowhawk

Sparrowhawk- medieval term for sparrowhawk, meaning spare or delicate

 

[Nightranger]

Sparrowhawk- medieval term for sparrowhawk, meaning spare or delicate

I didn't know that although knowing the origin and and where the corruption of some common names comes from that does not totally surprise me. Ian Newton's monograph on the sparrowhawk is probably one of the best of its type that I have ever read (I am sure we all have our favourites) and you would think that Accipiter nisus should really be the chaffinchhawk from the prey profiles illustrated in the book. I always assumed that the name was more a generic comment on the sparrowhawks normal prey - small birds- rather than saying they predominantly hunted sparrows (house or tree). I am actually quite pleased to discover I was wrong with this assumption because the true explanation has a bit more elegance to it. B

 

[saluki]

Sparrowhawk- medieval term for sparrowhawk, meaning spare or delicate

Am I missing something here? 'Sparrowhawk - a medieval term for sparrowhawk'??

Cheers
Jonathan

 

[ChrisKten]

Am I missing something here? 'Sparrowhawk - a medieval term for sparrowhawk'??

Cheers
Jonathan

I think it was a misquote from a Falconry book (The Sparrowhawk - A Manual for Hawking ( Liam O´Broin ))

The word Sparrowhawk is really a derivation of the old medieval term sparehawk, meaning her to be ‘ spare ‘ or delicate

 

[saluki]

I think it was a misquote from a Falconry book (The Sparrowhawk - A Manual for Hawking ( Liam O´Broin ))

Thanks Chris.

Anyone know if this is correct? The internet suggests:

The species name' dates back to the Middle English word sperhauk and Old English spearhafoc, a hawk which hunts sparrows.

Which is the origin I've always believed to be correct, I thought 'spare hawk' was simply a local (possibly Scottish) name?

Cheers
Jonathan

 

[Nightranger]

Thanks Chris.

Anyone know if this is correct? The internet suggests:

The species name' dates back to the Middle English word sperhauk and Old English spearhafoc, a hawk which hunts sparrows.

Which is the origin I've always believed to be correct, I thought 'spare hawk' was simply a local (possibly Scottish) name?

Cheers
Jonathan

It sounds plausible that it could derive from spare hawk especially as I am not too convinced the sparrowhawk has ever predominantly targeted sparrows as prey. However, I have to concede that there is no way of knowing if prey profiles have changed in historic times, hence why I have a suspicion that if the name literally means sparrow-hawk then it may be a generic comment on what the bird does, as I said chaffinch-hawk does not really scan but I suppose there is no reason why the name could not have been finch-hawk. My main reason for being doubtful about sparrow-hawk being generic is that the sparrow is and was such a familiar species in itself. Sadly, I do not own a copy of the excellent Bird Names: Their Meanings (if I have remembered the title correctly).

 

[blueshortwing]

Sparrowhawk- medieval term for sparrowhawk, meaning spare or delicate

It should have read- sparehawk medieval term for for sparrowhawk.

Berners 1486, spere hawk different spelling same meaning.

Aspare hawk, sharpness and courage.

Not all that interesting really, I much prefer studying their every day lives in the field, although books are nice to have and read, nothing beats your own observations, not for me anyway. I am sure you all know birds can not read:-O and they don't always behave as the books say.