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Image-of-the-Day by Subject
Birds - Sparrowhawk Page 4
Image Taken on 23 Nov 2018
at 16:28 Image of day on 10 Jan 2019
At slightly larger scale, and worked up to show the Blackbird more clearly,
here is the female Sparrowhawk landing with her prize.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20190110_d01_20181123_1628_007_fb6 sparrowhawk female 16m hunt from meadow post catching & eating blackbird female 07 of 18 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 23 Nov 2018
at 16:28 Image of day on 10 Jan 2019
This unexpected arrival of the Sparrowhawk has a female Blackbird in her talons.
She proceeded to rip the blackbird apart and eat it over 8 minutes.
The Sparrowhawk didn't leave the Blackbird carcass on the post, and next morning
there was no sign of it on the ground (but a fox or Badger may have found it).
The entrails you see over the edge were ignored by a Tawny Owl later in the night.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20190110_d01_20181123_1628_007-1635_017_fb6 sparrowhawk female 16m on meadow post eats blackbird fem 07+10+11+16+17 of 18 (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 06 Jan 2019
at 16:44 Image of day on 07 Feb 2019
The female Sparrowhawk made some visits after sunset one evening and before sunrise
the next day. This bird uses the subdued evening light for cover when pursuing prey.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20190207_d01_20190106_1644_010-1650_015_fb6 sparrowhawk female 2 and 4 minute visits to meadow post 1-3+5 of 5 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 28 Jun 2024
at 13:25 Image of day on 03 Aug 2024
One and a half hours apart sees these two landings of this (presumably the same)
female Sparrowhawk on the Kitchen perch.
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Ref: 20240803_e60_20240628_1325_041+1500_042_fb3 sparrowhawk female 2 visits to kitchen perch in 95m (stretched montage(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 25 Nov 2018
at 16:37 Image of day on 11 Jan 2019
2 nights after arriving with the dead female blackbird, the female Sparrowhawk
makes a couple of short visits to the post.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20190111_d01_20181125_1637_020+1623_018+1620_015_fb6 sparrowhawk female 4 minute visit to meadow post 1 of 2 + 2+1 of 2 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 12 Nov 2018
at 06:29 Image of day on 30 Dec 2018
This female Sparrowhawk unexpectedly started making visits most days to
this post top an hour before sunrise.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20181230_d01_20181112_0629_063_fb6 sparrowhawk female 4 minute visit to meadow post 1 of 3 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 01 Dec 2025
at 16:20 Image of day on 20 Jan 2026
Surprisingly, after sunset the female Sparrowhawk spends a few minutes on the meadow Post.
We guess that she is really hungry to be out hunting this late.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20260120_d01_20251201_1620_015+1622_019_fb6 sparrowhawk female 4 minute visit to meadow post after sunset 2+4 of 4 (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 13 Nov 2018
at 06:32 Image of day on 30 Dec 2018
Next morning the same female Sparrowhawk made 4 visits to the post in 20 minutes.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20181230_d01_20181113_0632_009-0640_014_fb6 sparrowhawk female 4 short visits to meadow post in 20 minutes 06+07+02 of 10 (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 13 Nov 2015
at 06:58 Image of day on 25 Dec 2015
After 5 years with no images of a Sparrowhawk on this post, we
get 3 visits over 2 days. Here is one of the landing, for a 5 minute visit
shortly before sunrise.
How delicate the legs appear for such a powerful bird.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20151225_d01_20151113_0658_020_fb6 sparrowhawk female 5 minute visit to meadow post 1 of 4 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 23 Nov 2018
at 06:57 Image of day on 08 Jan 2019
Next morning (camera back to 'normal') sees this Sparrowhawk make a botched
landing before circling round for another go (too quick for the camera to catch)
before spending a few minutes gazing straight at the bathroom where the
light being turned on may have made the bird think it was light enough to hunt.
Looking out of the window with house light off showed our eyes no detail at all.
The bird has already missed the landing when the flash first fires.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20190108_d01_20181123_0657_033+034+0700_037_fb6 sparrowhawk female 6 min visit to meadow post missing landing 1-3 of 3 (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 15 Nov 2018
at 16:43 Image of day on 02 Jan 2019
For a couple of days the female Sparrowhawk becomes an evening as well as morning visitor.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20190102_d01_20181115_1643_008+_009+1646_012_fb6 sparrowhawk female 9 minute visit to meadow post 1+2+4 of 5 (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 30 Oct 2021
at 10:58 Image of day on 09 Dec 2021
A rare occurrence - the Sparrowhawk landing on the meadow post and staying for almost
10 minutes.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20211209_d01_20211030_1058_001-1105_015_fb6 sparrowhawk female 9 minute visit to meadow post 1+2+4-6 of 6 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 30 Oct 2021
at 11:00 Image of day on 09 Dec 2021
A closer look at frame 3 omitted from the selection above.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20211209_d01_20211030_1100_005_fb6 sparrowhawk female 9 minute visit to meadow post 3 of 6 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 26 Mar 2020
at 17:15 Image of day on 09 Apr 2020
The female Sparrowhawk takes a most satisfying selfie outside the kitchen window.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20200409_e60_20200326_1715_020_fb3 sparrowhawk female about to land on kitchen perch (crop 2)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 26 Mar 2020
at 17:15 Image of day on 09 Apr 2020
Here is the whole of the bird landing on the kitchen window perch.
Not as spectacular as the crop, but perhaps more informative.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20200409_e60_20200326_1715_020_fb3 sparrowhawk female about to land on kitchen perch (crop 1)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 27 Apr 2025
at 06:32 Image of day on 10 Jun 2025
We haven't seen Sparrowhawk making flybys of the peanut feeders lately,
but this female is obviously back in circulation for better or worse.
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Ref: 20250610_e64_20250427_0632_119_fb2 sparrowhawk female at woodland site(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 12 Mar 2021
at 15:51 Image of day on 07 Apr 2021
The regular local Sparrowhawk makes another failed hunting pass over the
kitchen perch. But she obviously succeeds enough times to keep her going.
A 'Rule-of-Thumb' seems to be that these sort of hunts fail 9 out of 10 times.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20210407_e60_20210312_1551_030_fb3 sparrowhawk female attacking over kitchen perch & peanut feeder (crop 2)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 15 Sep 2021
at 13:54 Image of day on 25 Oct 2021
The local female Sparrowhawk makes a 'failed' swoop over the kitchen bird
table and feeder. Our impression is that she just swoops in on the two sites
where we see her without any idea of whether there will be anything to catch.
'Surprise' is one of her weapons!
On Saturday (18th Sep) we saw the female Sparrowhawk flash by the conservatory
window (with nothing to catch at the feeder outside) and on CCTV saw the bird
continue round to the other side of the house where she swooped by the also
unoccupied feeder by the kitchen window. Her speed is awesome.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20211025_e60_20210915_1354_032_fb3 sparrowhawk female flies over kitchen perch (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 19 Dec 2019
at 13:59 Image of day on 22 Jan 2020
Following several visual fleeting sightings, the female Sparrowhawk landed on
the 'bird table' part of the kitchen perch for this lovely portrait.
The legs and claws look incredibly 'lightweight' for the killing
they have to do. The claws look almost needle-like stilettos.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20200122_e60_20191219_1359_012_fb3 sparrowhawk female flyby and later perch at kitchen window 2 of 2 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 17 Feb 2020
at 11:26 Image of day on 12 Mar 2020
This female Sparrowhawk has established an interesting hunting regime where
several times a day she flashes by the south of the house past the feeder outside
the study, loops round the east of the house and, as you see here, does a similar
pass over (sometimes under) the bird table and peanut feeder outside the kitchen.
Once in a while she goes in the opposite direction.
Now that 'Sparrows' are not 'as common as muck' perhaps we ought to rename
'Sparrowhawks' as 'Tit-hawks'.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20200312_e60_20200217_1126_002_fb3 sparrowhawk female flying over kitchen feeder (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
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