Sparrowhawk Returns

This afternoon was not a very good afternoon for one of our resident sparrows. We were hoping that the Sparrowhawk wouldn't predate any more birds in our garden but sadly today we saw the Sparrowhawk sat on the ground, its bold yellow eyes peering up at us with an unfortunate House Sparrow in its talons.

Sparrowhawks feed on an amazing variety of prey including: small birds (as tiny as a Goldcrest), pigeons and doves, birds as big as Pheasants, small mammals like mice and voles and, in some cases, bats!

Although Sparrowhawks kill a lot of prey, they are actually hunted themselves by Goshawks who do not tolerate the smaller birds in their territory and younger birds are often taken by Tawny Owls. Female Sparrowhawks generally take larger prey because they are 25% bigger than the males and she will sometimes kill her mate! Males can live to up to seven or eight years and females can live up to eleven years of age!