Last year one of John’s neighbours sent him a photo of a sparrowhawk in his garden sitting on top of a squirrel trap, where a blackbird was taking refuge, and you can read about it in his blog from last June. This year the same neighbour spotted another sparrowhawk on a more ambitious hunting trip.
The photo was taken from some distance away, hence the quality. The sparrowhawk (a female from its colouring) had downed a corvid, probably a jackdaw, and was sitting on top of it, seemingly unsure what to do next. The jackdaw, meanwhile, was squawking loudly. After a few minutes of this, the sparrowhawk flew off, and so did the jackdaw, apparently not badly hurt.
According to my bird book, female sparrowhawks will take prey up to the size of a pigeon. Maybe this one will stick to pigeons in future!
Sue Morton, 21 September 2024
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