Sparrow Hawk Prey Items.

[Lutra Lutra 611]

Hello to all readers, and hoping everyone is okay. I just thought of writing a short post mainly about the elusive and somewhat diminutive Sparrow Hawk. These birds have always held a fascination for myself and many other people also.You might ask that such a post belongs in the Falconry section. However, what I wanted to know was how many general Birdwatchers often watch and see Spars take natural quarry. A list of different quarry items would be of great interest from certain interested parties. Some years ago while walking with the terriers, a particular rough-coated bitch I had called Thimble was with me.She was extremely obedient and deadly on anything that moved. She caught hundreds of Grey Squirrels, Rats and Rabbits. Many times I'd lost her then found her in a large deep sand earth baying at old Charlie.On one occasion While minding my own business I saw a female Spar take a take a Rabbit less then half grown, and after many walks in the same area saw the same bird do it again. I flew a Musket when I was 15 and still at School. He accounted for 60 head of quarry just in 3 months. However, He met is untimely death by colliding into a farmers barn window.I Was only a young 15 year old but from even earlier years I'd been lucky enough to meet many good people who were accomplished Falconers and had kindly passed on their secrets.Of course when you are so young and you love, especially Animals the ropes are always pulling you back to that person or Animal. It was a very sad Christmas for us all.3years later my best little Russell was tragically killed by a speeding motor car, another hurtful experience. My Musket had caught Whitethroat, Redstart, Stonechat, and so many other birds. My favourite sport was Blackbird Hawking in which I had a license to take so many, together with Tree Sparrows and if you had a female you could catch perhaps the number of 25 Partridge. My bird had a superb flight at a male Song Thrush and eventually caught it on an old country lane. 'You never forget things like that"!

Also while studying SparrowHawks in the wild I have found many different prey items at nest sites.On one occasion I Heard the familiar sound of the GreenWoodpecker with his unmistakable (jaffle) call when from out of the blue a female Spar took him in mid flight. I did approach them, them both in some unequalled sparring match, however it wasn't a sparring match of sorts, but one of stealth and power plus the added advantage of a SparrowHawk who wants to kill. I approached a little further towards both combatants when Mrs Sparrowhawk saw me, released her menacing grip and aptly flew off. The Green woodpecker survived through myself chancing on the 2 birds, The Woodpecker tried somewhat to maintain his composure, a few fuffled feathers but he lived to be a wise bird.My life with SparrowHawks has been wonderful, but However, one has to know how to treat these birds. I would like to hear of anyone who has flownMales or females. Also if there are any guys who have seen them take various prey items. I am in the process of trying to acquire certain photos of any Birds of Prey in the wild taking various prey items. The photos are for my private collection. So if the material is suitable I will pay you of course.Just before I depart company, it is a pity so many lads are that far away as there is smelly fellow on one of my farms and it needs taking care of due to losing twin lambs last season,My bother has told me the location.It is only a mild affair situated on a somewhat small bankside and contains just a few entrances I have had Rabbits out of the place and it is very shallow.

Hope to hear from anyone about the Sparrowhawk and the prey items.

 

REGARDS LUTRALUTRA........

 

 

[kriti 274]

A Spar took one of my canaries last week, does that count?

[Omanyra 2,518]

Seen one take a waxwing, a bit too slow to get an image.

I have a few you might be interested in, will sort them out

[mackem 23,676]

3 seperate occassions i have seen a spar in pursuit of a ring-necked parakeet,they must catch some,i was just never lucky enough to view the culmination of the flight.

[Chicken_man 1,651]

Last year I saw one take q swallow in flight. Once in a lifetime viewing I would say. Amazing to see

Atb

[paulus 26]

seen a female take at teal at dusk, (trained bird) i notice here that wood pigeon is most definitely a favorite for certain females. i have flown both musket and spars over the years, trying to catch a snipe, the last musket was an imprint that flew at just under 5oz but you could see him start to fall off after a couple of flights, i thought a female would be able to out-rise the snipe but sadly never managed to do it. as for other quarry, starlings were my favorite, they are quite a test to be honest. Blackbirds probably rate about the same.

[Lutra Lutra 611]

A Spar took one of my canaries last week, does that count?

Kriti, how unfortunate for you but more so for the Canary. I have suffered Bullfinches on quite a few occasions being pulled through the wire, mainly by the Musket.

[Lutra Lutra 611]

Seen one take a waxwing, a bit too slow to get an image.

I have a few you might be interested in, will sort them out

Omanyra,that must have been a wonderful spectacle to experience. Never seen that to be honest. The Spars are so agile and they will take many Bats but many type bird. A friends female Spar managed to catch and hold a full grown Cock Pheasant many years ago now. They will take THE SOMEWHAT ELUSIVE WOODCOCK.

[Lutra Lutra 611]

Paulus, I agree with you as to the regards of some females preferring Wood-Pigeons in their quarry diet. Around 34 years ago I can clearly remember seeing a lonesome Wood -Pigeon feeding on Kale I think. Once my female Spar, Pricillia saw it she was off the fist and taking it in fine style. She excelled at Blackbirds of which I think it is some of the finest Falconry available, for sheer excitement, speed and trying to outwit the Blackbird. I have picked Blackbirds up in my hand when they have taken even the slightest of foliage, rather than face the Hawk. My famous Musket, (Jez) was a past master at his game and my brother flew his brother, a darker -breasted Bird called Roddy. On occasions we flew them together as a cast on the exuberant Blackbird.On one occasion jez DID bind to a little Owl that was sat on a wall , they grappled intensely for a short period of time and at one stage it seemed the Owl would be the proud victor of such a Melee! However. I am not the person to want to see to magnificent Birds kill each other, so I thumbled about separating both Birds without causing unwanted suffering. Paulus, I also agree that the starling can tricky to catch. The good thing about Sparrowhawks is that there is so much quarry to fly at.

Lutra Lutra

 

[vizlauk 1,568]

Every year I get a spar doing its rounds in my garden, taking wood pigeons ; I've seen it kill many for the past few years, last year it actually flew into the fencing in my garden and knocked it's self out of flight; it recovered and took off again, stunning hunters.

[neil cooney 10,415]

I've never seen a Sparrow Hawk flown off the fist but have seen many, many kills made by them in the wild. Sometimes two and three times a week.

I've seen a Spar taking a House Martin on the wing, from below, with the Spar actually up side down when contact was made.

But my favourite experience watching a Sparrowhawk was one morning shooting Rabbits with a .22.

At the bottom of a small enough field was a fallen Whitethorn and I seen some movement in it. I lay down flat and looked through the scope.

In the branches, around three foot of the ground, was a Sparrowhawk looking down.

On the ground was a Stoat looking up.

Both were thinking of making the other prey. It was each showing the other signs of aggression until the Sparrowhawk flew away, which surprised me as I would have thought that a Sparrowhawk could take an Irish Stoat as they're quiet small. But quiet game I suppose.

I'm glad no one seen me as I was lying there looking down the sights of a rifle at two protected species, LOL.

[paulus 26]

Paulus, I agree with you as to the regards of some females preferring Wood-Pigeons in their quarry diet. Around 34 years ago I can clearly remember seeing a lonesome Wood -Pigeon feeding on Kale I think. Once my female Spar, Pricillia saw it she was off the fist and taking it in fine style. She excelled at Blackbirds of which I think it is some of the finest Falconry available, for sheer excitement, speed and trying to outwit the Blackbird. I have picked Blackbirds up in my hand when they have taken even the slightest of foliage, rather than face the Hawk. My famous Musket, (Jez) was a past master at his game and my brother flew his brother, a darker -breasted Bird called Roddy. On occasions we flew them together as a cast on the exuberant Blackbird.On one occasion jez DID bind to a little Owl that was sat on a wall , they grappled intensely for a short period of time and at one stage it seemed the Owl would be the proud victor of such a Melee! However. I am not the person to want to see to magnificent Birds kill each other, so I thumbled about separating both Birds without causing unwanted suffering. Paulus, I also agree that the starling can tricky to catch. The good thing about Sparrowhawks is that there is so much quarry to fly at.

Lutra Lutra

 

i flew my first spar at the starlings on the school playing field after i had got home from school myself Lol

[Accip74 7,112]

I was hawking with a male goshawk in 'Constable' country a few years back & as usual I put up a woodcock whilst working the cover, the gos flinched, but never left the fist......& as I watched the woodcock zig-zag off through the trees, a spar stooped out of a tree & took it in the air.....

 

Several years ago I was hunting a wood with a male Harris. While he sat in a tree, a female spar came down to investigate him & perched a few branches away......I watched them for a while, only 20 metres from where I stood & then raised my garnished fist to call in the Harris, they both left their perches & the spar flew like she was coming into the fist, above the Harris slightly ahead of him Haha.....They were both flying to the fist & at the last second she buzzed him on the head & flew off......ex falconry bird? Who knows?

 

.....the first summer I lived in this house I had juvenile female spar fly into my kitchen while I cooked dinner....;-)

 

I will fly a spar one day......

[j j m 6,479]

ive a female that reguarly visits my bird table while the small birds are feeding

[krawnden 1,036]

Over the years I've seen loads of 'almost' kills - smashing into cover after something, disappearing behind some obstacle or other fractionally before the point of impact, hurtling across the road right up something's arse etc, but I've never been fortunate enough to witness a spar actually binding to its quarry. Also disturbed plenty of spars having just killed, either already plucking their quarry or sometimes not having yet begun to. One day I hope to be in the right place at the right time. The closest I ever got was watching a spar foot a collared dove - there was a burst of feathers but the dove got away. And I did once see one right up the arse of a pipistrelle bat shortly before sunset. They disappeared over a bank so I don't know what the outcome was. I've always wondered if the bat knew it was being pursued???

 

I think they're spectacularly exciting birds to watch; I just love their 'cut and thrust' style of hunting. I used to live on the Herefordshire/Wales border where there were lots of quiet country lanes with high hedges either side and it was almost a weekly occurrence to drive along behind a hunting spar. They'd fly up the road for 50 yards or so a few feet off the ground then flip over the hedge, flip back into the lane, back over the hedge and so on. Sometimes you could follow them like this for about a mile. Sooner or later as the spar flipped into a field a cloud of little birds would burst over the skyline and the spar wouldn't re-appear. One of my favourite British birds....