what garden for sparrowhawk? (1 Viewer)

[Dan123]

what kind of area do u need to be in to get sparrowhawks in the garden? I do not want them in mine so I just want to make sure. I know they are magnificent birds in their own right, but I do not like the killings. I know its nature but god, I just looked up Sparrowhawk on youtube and saw a couple of videos and one of them was brutially killing a Male Magpie and then eventurally drowning it because of the noise and panick the bird was making. That make me feels sick to my stomach so I just wanted to know what areas they live in. I know we won't get any here, and god I am glad! Anything like that in my garden would really churn me up and cry lol

 

[TheBirdGarden]

I don't think they live or nest anywhere near gardens. I am pretty sure they make a kill and sometimes by chance it would be in your garden.

But that is just a guess but I do know if you had a sparrow hark it would be a sign of a healthy garden

 

[BarryH]

My back garden is relatively small and twice recently, a Sparrowhawk has made Dunnock kills.

The same bird has also taken a close neighbours "friendly - as in feeding out of the hand" Robin. I know they also have to feed but the Sparrowhawk is not a popular visitor at the minute. Beautiful to look at though.

 

[Dan123]

Oh really? Thats an interesting note. How come it would be healthy?

Barry I would be so upset, especially with the tame Robin. I agree, I know they have to eat and I love the bird in its own right, but I just want to make sure it is away from my garden. We live in the middle of a town so hopefully.

 

[earleybird]

what kind of area do u need to be in to get sparrowhawks in the garden? I do not want them in mine so I just want to make sure. I know they are magnificent birds in their own right, but I do not like the killings. I know its nature but god, I just looked up Sparrowhawk on youtube and saw a couple of videos and one of them was brutially killing a Male Magpie and then eventurally drowning it because of the noise and panick the bird was making. That make me feels sick to my stomach so I just wanted to know what areas they live in. I know we won't get any here, and god I am glad! Anything like that in my garden would really churn me up and cry lol

They are still a bird , a wild creature that has to live. Its no different than us. We kill animals and eat them and I'm sure they are not to happy about it.

The thing that attracts sparrowhawks to our gardens is the quantity of birds. The more you feed garden birds the more likely it is that a sparrowhawk will visit your garden. If you feed your garden birds regularly then there is every chance that sparrowhawks will nest nearby because they know they have a ready plentiful supply of food for their young.

Sparrowhawks are everywhere in our towns and cities and in the rural areas. They live wherever they can find food. The only sure way of keeping them away is not to feed garden birds.

 

[Oscillate_Wildly]

what kind of area do u need to be in to get sparrowhawks in the garden? I do not want them in mine so I just want to make sure. I know they are magnificent birds in their own right, but I do not like the killings. I know its nature but god, I just looked up Sparrowhawk on youtube and saw a couple of videos and one of them was brutially killing a Male Magpie and then eventurally drowning it because of the noise and panick the bird was making. That make me feels sick to my stomach so I just wanted to know what areas they live in. I know we won't get any here, and god I am glad! Anything like that in my garden would really churn me up and cry lol

I've seen that video, maybe I'm a sadistic but I loved it. Showed the intelligence of the Sparrow hawk and what different methods birds of prey use to kill their next meal. Brilliant and beautiful!

 

[Sancho]

"Sad" fact - most small birds are food, one way or another. Of the ten blue-tits that emerge from a nestbox, only one (on average) will live to see next spring....and that´s all that´s needed to maintain a stable population. There is nothing to my mind as beautiful in my garden as a sparrowhawk making a kill, or sitting on the fence, which I´ve seen them do a very few times. The males seem to come to the garden far less often. It all happens so fast that if you blink, you miss it...it´s probable that a sparrowhawk zooms through the garden every day, but I´ve only ever seen the do it maybe fifteen times in ten years. I just love ´em.

 

[TheBirdGarden]

Oh really? Thats an interesting note. How come it would be healthy?

Because your garden would be abundant with an healthy population of birds good enough for a sparrowhawk meal.

 

[Marmot]

During the past couple of years we have had 3 different Sprawks visiting our garden at various intervals ad I am sure it is them that have put the BT of using the nest boxes we have [which had been used prior to them showing up]

I am personally fed up having to pick up feathers of the deceased birds on the lawn and Ian has had to deal with the odd carcass. It has not got to the point if I am in by myself I go out and chase it...it seems to like coming and sitting for hours in the damp weather on the fenceor or tree.

 

[karpman]

Get a young male round here and i'm very pleased to see him!

Pretty sure he has a larger hunting range than my garden, See him once a week if i'm lucky.
I am pretty sure they do there bit for picking off the sick and injured birds also.

The only way to stop a visit for sure would be to stop feeding.

Karpman

 

[razorsharp]

Mmmmh. This again??? Wow, people can be very selective about what birds they choose to like for doing what is natural for them, hunting and eating in order not to starve.

 

[ChrisKten]

I should just have a "cut and paste" answer ready for this, as it does come up rather a lot; let's try a slightly different approach:

I've been lucky to witness many kills by Sparrowhawks in my garden. I say "lucky" because I would think it lucky to witness a Lion taking down a Zebra. I would find it fascinating (as many others seem to do) to watch a Nature programme about Cheetahs or Tigers, or any other predator.

There was a programme on TV about Cheetahs a while ago, and one of the cubs was killed. My Wife, who is another of the "Murdering Sparrowhawk" club, was upset enough to cry. This cub would have grown up to kill other animals, yet it upset my wife because it died. So there's a double standard for predators; Lions etc is OK - Sparrowhawks isn't OK.

You need to accept that everything kills to survive, even a Cow eating grass swallows the odd insect, or treads on a few. There's no difference between a Blackbird stretching a live Worm until it breaks, to a Sparrowhawk eating alive a Pigeon. The only difference is Worms aren't "cute and fluffy", but they are still living creatures.

So it's just Nature; it's not pleasant to watch, but neither is watching a Sparrowhawk starve to death.

 

[earleybird]

I think we need to be sensitive to others here. Just because it is part of nature and a necessary part of the food chain etc doesn't make it any more palitable to the more sensitive amongst us.

I doubt even the most avid bird of prey advocate on here could sit and watch a cow or pig being transported and slaughtered without some unease yet most of us would be quite happy to eat a steak and chips on a Sat night without a thought as to where the food came from.

The op's concern and distaste for witnessing killing of garden birds by BOP is perfectly understandable and that sensitivity is not something to ridicule or critisise.

Perhaps we should answer the op's question and suggest ways that they might reduce the risks of BOP can taking birds from gardens. I have 2x cats that I love more than anything but I recognise their hunting and killing instincts and therefore organise my bird feeding area to limit the risk of cats taking birds.

 

[TheBirdGarden]

I remember Simon King once said (I think it was him) "Its difficult to watch because you are routing for both teams. The one side you want the faun to escape but on the other you want the cheetah to have a meal"

From Big Cat Diary

(Think it was him and it is not word for word.)

 

[ChrisKten]

I think we need to be sensitive to others here. Just because it is part of nature and a necessary part of the food chain etc doesn't make it any more palitable to the more sensitive amongst us.

I doubt even the most avid bird of prey advocate on here could sit and watch a cow or pig being transported and slaughtered without some unease yet most of us would be quite happy to eat a steak and chips on a Sat night without a thought as to where the food came from.

The op's concern and distaste for witnessing killing of garden birds by BOP is perfectly understandable and that sensitivity is not something to ridicule or critisise.

Perhaps we should answer the op's question and suggest ways that they might reduce the risks of BOP can taking birds from gardens. I have 2x cats that I love more than anything but I recognise their hunting and killing instincts and therefore organise my bird feeding area to limit the risk of cats taking birds.

A couple of things:

"ridicule or critisise.", I've looked, but I can't find that bit in this thread; where was it exactly?

"I have 2x cats that I love more than anything but I recognise their hunting and killing instincts and therefore organise my bird feeding area to limit the risk of cats taking birds"

I assume that both Cats are well fed, and have no need to eat wild birds; unlike a hungry Sparrowhawk.

"I doubt even the most avid bird of prey advocate on here could sit and watch a cow or pig being transported and slaughtered"

I certainly couldn't, which was one of the reasons I became a Vegetarian.

Also, nobody has to feed the birds, it's a free choice. If someone is too "sensitive" to witness the inevitable outcome of their actions, then maybe they shouldn't feed the birds. No matter what anyone thinks of them, Raptors are Birds too.

Actually I've had an idea; maybe those that think of Sparrowhawks as unwelcome visitors, could build a large mesh fence around and over their garden, you know, a bit like a big cage. Then you could keep the nice fluffy birds in and the nasty Sparrowhawks out.|=)|

 

[earleybird]

A couple of things:

I assume that both Cats are well fed, and have no need to eat wild birds; unlike a hungry Sparrowhawk.
|

you are completely missing the point chum which is why I'm not going to fuel your flaming by trying to elucidate.
have a nice weekend everyone:t:

 

[ChrisKten]

you are completely missing the point chum which is why I'm not going to fuel your flaming by trying to elucidate.
have a nice weekend everyone:t:

I assume the "flaming" bit is in the same place as the "ridicule and criticise".

But seriously; there are many, many, posts in this forum that are anti-Raptor. I think it's important to remember that not so long ago Sparrowhawks were almost wiped out.

From the BTO:

Sparrowhawks also suffered as a result of the use of DDT. When DDT and other organochlorine pesticides were first used they were viewed as a wonderful tool within agriculture, partly because a single application lasted for such a long time. Unfortunately these compounds were found to persist in the food chain and to accumulate in animals at the top of the food chain (like Sparrowhawks and Peregrine Falcons). These compounds influenced the reproductive output of Sparrowhawks by reducing the thickness of the eggshells. These in turn were more likely to break while the female was incubating and the population of Sparrowhawks crashed. Once the chemicals concerned had been banned the population began to recover.

It's only recently that they've recovered, and now, rather ironically, some people see them as pests.

So no "flaming", just trying to give these birds something other than bad publicity.

 

[dantheman]

It must be part of a our psyche to empathise with other organisms in danger - even other creatures do, like birds themselves (witnessed a Magpie attacking a Starling in a tree once - it screamed out, and within seconds a male Blackbird and a Song Thrush dive-bombed the predator, knocking it off and allowing the Starling to escape (Wow!). Hearing the cries of an animal in distress elicites an uncomfortable reaction - it must be hard wired into us.

I'd suggest that people of a sensitive disposition (I include myself in this in certain circumstances ) shouldn't watch such videos on Youtube - life goes on, but to take too much interest in the things which upset you (morbid curiosity? or?) is going to make things worse for yourself. It's always gone on, and always will. (Ignore and sweep it under the carpet, or watch and see if you become inured to it???!!! - depends on the individual I guess.)

We don't feed the birds in our rented garden here - and I've only ever seen a Blackbird once and a Meadow Pipit 3 times in our garden. If I were to feed the birds, to the point where I had dozens of sightings a day, I'd be more than happy for a Sparrowhawk to have its share. Sure, I might feel some unease if it was a favourite bird that was prey, but there is a sense that you have to try and disassociate yourself from the idea that they are 'your birds'. As mentioned above (and in previous threads), they are not 'our birds' and predation (and probably 'worse', disease and starvation) are necessary controls on all populations.

That's another take or two on it ...

 

[ChrisKten]

That does seem to be the problem, Dan; that some think of the "wild" birds in their garden as "their birds". I must admit that I've given a few Pigeons names, but I still watched as one was eaten alive by a Sparrowhawk.

I'd better make it clear that I find it very difficult to watch one animal kill another; I don't even like watching a Worm being eaten by a Blackbird.|=)| But, most of the time, my fascination with Nature in action, so to speak, keeps me watching.

If you think about it, threads like this are actually asking, "How can I make it difficult for one wild animal to catch and eat another wild animal"; which I find a rather odd question. Nevertheless, I do understand how unpleasant it is to watch a Sparrowhawk kill, so I would simply advise not to make it too easy for a Sparrowhawk. Give the birds some cover to retreat into, as they might have in the wild. But don't try to make it impossible for a Sparrowhawk, as this would be giving potential prey an unnatural advantage.

 

[Gary Polliard]

Interesting topic. I have always wanted to put a Kestrel house up in the field behind my house but also I try to attract the eastern bluebird. If a Kestrel would nest there would it decrease the chances of bluebirds selecting a nesting site nearby. The box for a kestrel is to be mounted high on a pole. I have seen many along the major highways here perched on sign posts looking for mice, snakes and other food in the short grasses along the roads. I love to watch them and do invite them to the feeder.