sparrowhawk
sparrowhawk sparrowhawk
sparrowhawk sparrowhawk
sparrowhawk sparrowhawk
sparrowhawk sparrowhawk
sparrowhawk sparrowhawk
sparrowhawk sparrowhawk
sparrowhawk
an avian bomber
sparrowhawk
sparrowhawk sparrowhawk


sparrowhawk feeding on pigeon
sparrowhawk feeding
A loud crash on the dining-room window alerted us to the sight of a sparrowhawk with its talons in a woodpigeon. The bird could see we were not far away but it wasn't going to abandon its kill. It was too heavy to treat as a 'take-away' but instead, dragged it a little further away from the window and proceeded to tear into it.
sparrowhawk feeding
It returned regularly to eat, each time being able to drag the prey a bit further away as it became less heavy.
sparrowhawk feeding
This time 'cloaking' its meal.
sparrowhawk feeding
When the hawk was absent, close inspection of the pigeon's crop showed a surprising number of fresh-looking acorns. Overnight, these vanished. The hawk would not have eaten them so another creature had a lucky find.


sparrowhawk catching sparrow
sparrowhawk catching
The whole episode lasted about 3 minutes. I had seen it before, several times, but this was the first time I had been able to take photos of the entire sequence. The male hawk appeared in a flash: as did I after fetching my camera. I stayed well back from the dining-room window and started to click. The hawk already had hold of a male house sparrow. When the raptor first appeared there was chaos around the feeding ball, the sparrows panicked and an unfortunate one felt strong claws around its head.
sparrowhawk catching
This appeared to be a bite to the neck to further disable the sparrow.
sparrowhawk catching
The struggle to remove the bird started ...
sparrowhawk catching
There was much thrashing about and the cage swayed to and fro.
sparrowhawk catching
The hawk then hanged down as though having a short rest. But it kept hold of the sparrow.
sparrowhawk catching
It kept looking around before going back up to the ball.
sparrowhawk catching
In my opinion this is the most dramatic shot. The hawk eyeing its prey; the prey staring back, resigned to its fate.
sparrowhawk catching
The denouement ...
sparrowhawk catching
Frantic activity as the raptor kept pulling at the prey.
sparrowhawk catching
Finally the sparrow was yanked from the food-ball.
sparrowhawk catching
The hawk carried the sparrow only a short distance before settling on the ground.
sparrowhawk catching
It repeatedly tore pieces from it.
After looking around, the sparrowhawk flew into nearby trees, carrying the remains of the sparrow in its talons. The feeding area stayed quiet for many minutes.


sparrowhawk being mobbed
sparrowhawk sparrowhawk
Sparrowhawks aren't immune from harassment, either.