# Sparrowhawk



## knotty (Oct 21, 2009)

I happened to be in the conservatory the other day and spotted this fellow sat on the fence, I only managed to get the one photo but quite pleased with how it turned out. Living on a busy housing estate this is the first time I'd seen a Sparrowhawk in the garden, we do get a lot of Red Kites though!


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## Matt king (Jan 25, 2013)

Stunning birds !


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## Long way down (Jul 29, 2009)

Nice capture knotty


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## marktheglass (Mar 24, 2012)

Love driving on the M40 looking out for Red Kites remember reading an article about them being to successful and having a bad effect on other wildlife in the area ? Nice photo BTW.


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## purplepiepete (Jan 25, 2013)

I live in an urban area too. The first time I saw one in my garden I was standing just inside open patio doors watching the busy bird feeders about ten feet away, suddenly a bird crashed into a shrub just below them like a bolt of lightning, I thought it was a spooked Pidgeon, then it appeared the otherside of the shrub climing up the fence using its beak, for a split secound I thought it was an escaped Cockatiel before realising it was a young male Sparrowhawk. We made eye contact for a secound or two then it shot almost verticaly up in to the air and was gone. (empty taloned )
I have seen plenty of successful strikes in the garden since, Greenfinches seem to be top of the menu !

Edit.... Fantastic photo btw how lucky were you !


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## Spreebok (Jul 4, 2012)

Gorgeous shot!
I got up close and personal with a young one last year myself. My grandparents were on Holiday, and I was looking after the birds for them (one Finch aviary and one Budgie aviary), and whenever that years baby Sparrowhawks leave the nest, they spend a few weeks hassling the 'easy targets' until they realize they can't get anything and leave them alone. I was in with the finches, cleaning the bath, when BAM! I look up and he's right on top, trying to get in. I shoo him off, and off he goes. 5 minutes later, I'm returning to the finches with a tray of seed, and SLAM! He swoops down, over my head, and slams into the side of the wooden portion of the aviary, looks me drop in the eye and shreds the bubblewrap (stapled on to keep the warm in) clean off the side and takes off, landing on the roof of the bungalow for a second before taking off out of sight.
He's back again 10 minutes later, whilst I'm now in with the budgies, where he swoops down and slams onto the side of the mesh, inches from my face. He just sits there, looking at me, panting, and I'm there just staring at how gorgeous this bird is, Budgies flying around my head.

He came back a few more times during the week, but I didn't see him again the last few days, so I think he'd gotten the idea and gone else where. We lost 2 finches and a budgie due to how much he was hassling and stressing them whilst noone was there, but I'll never forget just how close and gorgeous that bird was! One of the great things about the Grandparents living in/on the edge of the country, you see some fantastic wildlife!


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## Talisker (Jun 21, 2012)

Nice...luvley pic ....havent seen many sparrow hawks .lots of buzzards and red kites though


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## EVIEMAY (Mar 6, 2008)

I have a male that visits my garden quite regularly as beautiful as he is I do shoo him off - I love my garden birds and I would rather he hunted elsewhere !!!


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## Shelleyred (Jul 11, 2010)

Thats amazing!!


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## John Hufton (Oct 29, 2012)

What fab picture and my favourite bird. I saw one take down a pigeon from my office window in central London. We have a small garden area there.


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## Zincubus (Sep 6, 2010)

I kept an 'injured' sparrow-hawk In a large rabbit hutch for a few days until the bird-bloke could collect it . It was the scariest few days of my life , snakes have nothing on these beggars . Fast and vicious when you're feeding them defrosted chicks !!

It got out one day and ran into next doors garden , I told the guy to be careful but he's one of those macho types and chased it and grabbed it with his bare hands .... It looked as though he'd been arm-wrestling Edward Scissor- Hands afterwards !


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