Sparrow hawk caught a rat in my drive way,...and we managed to film it...amazing...and job well done...as natural as nature should be❤

Saw a female sparrowhawk take down a magpie a few years back. She saw me nearby, and stared at me with her piercing yellow eyes. I hardly moved, but she took off with her prey. Never forgot that encounter. Great info Liam 👍

@zafod101

8 ай бұрын

I found one eating a pigeon in the garden he or she let me walk up to it so I could take some pictures it just froze then carried on eating when I backed off😊

@nicedog1

7 ай бұрын

@@zafod101 She was probably expecting you to steal her meal.

@si4632

6 ай бұрын

Taking down a magpie is impressive,

@luzoroana

6 ай бұрын

It lives in Africa, Nigeria, right?

@zafod101

6 ай бұрын

​@@luzoroanawe have them in the UK 😊

I always feel privileged to see these apex hunters in a suburban setting such as where I live, although it's usually little more than a fleeting glimpse. Recently a female made a kill of a blackbird in our back garden. As in the video, she ate it where she'd killed it, flew up to a swing seat where she then spent another half an hour, preening her feathers and presumably digesting her meal. After she'd left, I inspected the corpse of the blackbird. She'd plucked and eaten the main body, leaving the head, wings and feet untouched. More impressively, the backbone still had everything attached, and the digestive system had also been ignored. A surgeon couldn't have carried out a more precise procedure.

Great video on these lovely birds, thanks man. Love em!!👍

Love these birds, they visit our garden frequently. Thank you for all that very interesting info on the Sparrowhawk.👍

@AShotOfWildlife

8 ай бұрын

Thank you, im glad you like the video.

these video's are very educational. excellent. keep them coming.

Interesting as always. We have a sparrowhawk that hunts in our rural garden surrounded by woodland. We have lots of bird feeders & if they're busy & then suddenly all the birds disappear en masse, you can be sure the sparrowhawk is in the area. I've seen it take an adult male blackbird & take it away, probably to feed chicks. It's horrible to see as the captured birds struggle. Also seen it flying fast after a sparrow that got away - happy not to be one of the 10%.

I had a juvenile sparrowhawk on my rear fence last autumn. A few days later I saw him again and he took a sparrow off the rear fence and ate it in a tree just behind. I see him quite regularly and he hunts in the wooded area behind my garden. He's such a gorgeous bird and is fascinating to watch. Love your videos.

@davecox6338

8 ай бұрын

FYI they are not gorgeous birds at all as they very quickly will reduce the British songbird population to virtually zero .soon all that will be left will be magpies , crows , hawka

Great video as always. Got to love a sparrowhawk

@Owen-wx5ex

8 ай бұрын

Unless you're a pigeon

Love this. We look after quite a few injured wild sparrowhawks at our sanctuary.

@AShotOfWildlife

8 ай бұрын

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

Unexpectedly i did see a sparrowhawk in central Brighton couple of years ago, on my way back from the shops. It was indeed snacking on another bird (maybe a pigeon) so that aspect was rather gruesome - but was still great to see such a magnificent bird.

One of my most memorable Sparrowhawk encounters was in Bethnal Green, east London. Walking past Marie Curie Park we spotted one through the railings only about 50 feet away. It had nailed a pigeon and was busy tucking in. Only had very early phone cameras on us so couldn't get decent photos or footage. Memorable experience though. 🙂👍

Thanks for such a great video on these beautiful birds ❤

@AShotOfWildlife

3 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching!

This one is also informative Dear..

@AShotOfWildlife

8 ай бұрын

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

😃 🙂 YEEEEEEEESA! Thanks. Love it.

@AShotOfWildlife

8 ай бұрын

Cheers Daz! Glad you enjoyed it!

@dazmick1111

8 ай бұрын

@@AShotOfWildlife Made my day. Thank you.

Great video mate, love Sparrow hawks!😍

Ace! My local pidges are terrified of sparrowhawks.🐦

Very good informative video lots of facts very interesting.

Superb Amazing birds. Some amazing info in this video Liam. Nice work.

A few years ago I was walking along a street in my small town and out of the corner of my eye saw movement and a cloud of feathers being thrown up on the doorstep of one of the houses I was passing. I assumed at first it was a cat killing a pigeon but when I stopped to look I could see it was a sparrowhawk tearing apart a smaller bird on someone's front doorstep. Never seen a sparrowhawk before or since, but fascinating to watch that one time.

They have got to be one of the most deadly predators in the UK bird world! Quick, agile, intelligent with different strategies for catching different species of bird. Have seen them In action quite a few times now. They seem very successful when they strike. Impressive when you see them with tactics such as chasing a Robin towards a patio door and then simply picking up the stunned prey after it collided with the door! I don’t know how big their hunting range is but I was lucky to see both a male and female on the same walk one morning covering about a mile distance.

An excellent video Liam .Superb photography and detail Many thanks , like and greetings..

@AShotOfWildlife

8 ай бұрын

Thank you Helena!

Thanks! I think I've seen sparrowhawks occasionally on the Parkland Walk in north London.

Another outstanding vid Liam. I’d really like you to do a vid on the Corncrake if possible. Take care buddy.

An excellent video and super footage. Really interesting to hear all about them. We see them fly over our house but usually at a great height. Once, though, one flew in to our feeders and tried to grab a goldfinch just as I was videoing the goldfinches on the feeder, in slow motion. I was shocked and so surprised to get that little snippet of the hawk flying in, turning, and flying away again all in a split second. It went off empty taloned as the goldfinches were too smart for it!

Sometimes I have found the odd dove or pigeon carcass in the garden, I just though it must have been a cat, but a while ago I went into the garden to see a Sparrowhawk take off from it's kill, a dove carcass mostly eaten with the head severed and a ring of feathers about. People say it's a sign of a healthy ecosystem, so I was happy in the thought, that nature was prospering for a change. 🙂

Great and informative video, We've got Sparrowhawks on the old railway line behind my garden.

@AShotOfWildlife

8 ай бұрын

Thank you!

I love these birds (I also love goshawks)! Masters of the air and tight corners. I have seen some go like "full speed" into a big bush and come out with their prey. I have also been lucky enough to see one adapt their stealth hunting, right up to our bird feeder. They fly like lightning. Luckily we have quite many here in Vienna, but as you state, they are hard to spot if they are not hunting or eating. Thank you for making me remember some good sightings!

Hawks are my favorite bird in the whole entire world. This is a super cool video and my favorite type of hawk is the sparrow hawk. I’m still a dumb 12-year-old boy so I only know about sparrowhawks because of KZread but yeah, I really love hawks and really love sparrowhawks.

Thanks very much, mate. Always enjoy your videos. Interesting and informative.

Utterly superb video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@AShotOfWildlife

8 ай бұрын

Thank you very much!

I regularly see Sparrowhawks on Salisbury plain, mostly females.

Excellent once again

Superb info, I rescued one of these incredible birds a couple of years ago in my garden. Took it to the vets where they have a care of duty to look after them. I called the vet a week or so later and he said it was released back into the wild, it made my year to think I had a part in that. Love the vids keep them coming.

@maratonlegendelenemirei3352

8 ай бұрын

No doubt they sold it to a collector? You should have gone personally to see it being released.

@si4632

5 ай бұрын

They euthanized it and put it in the incinerator

thank u again for a awesome video

@AShotOfWildlife

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!

Hello my friend, Thank you very much for your film and telling us all about Sparrowhawks. I always love to see them, though seeing them is a very fortunate experience as they are so illusive. Much of what you explained to us was a mystery to me. I've seen cobalt blue Sparrowhawks, but yet brown ones, too? Where they Kestrels?? Thank you for explaining they were male and female. The females are significantly larger than the males. I thought you brought us a fantastic film with a great, educational commentary. I spend a lot of time outside, and I found what you've done very beneficial Thank you very much, Ian.

Thanks! 🪶

Yet again that was fantastic

@AShotOfWildlife

8 ай бұрын

Thank you!

Great video and informative thank you Liam.

Always enjoy your videos, thanks.

We sometimes have a sparrow hawk in our back garden in Watford they use the bird feeders as a target point for smaller birds.

A few days ago i heard a commotion out of my bedroom window the birds were going wild i looked down and got a close view of a Sparrowhawk with its claw on a fledgling which was screaming. At first i wasnt sure what to do my normal instinct when the local cats are on the prowl near the neighbours feeders is to shoo them away but obviously this was different. I didnt know much about sparrowhawks and thought either way the fledgling would be too injured and it would be a quick kill. What i didn't expect was that the kill went on for some time and i was torn between hearing the distressed bird having its feathers plucked out (after a protracted period of moving it around on the ground with its claws ) whilst still being alive to feeling amazed that i was so close to this stunning hawk. In the end it got disturbed picked the bird up and flew off....with a crow chasing after it . I cant forget the awful sound of the fledgling but i feel privileged to have witbessed this beautiful bird doing its thing.

Thanks. I have had the occasional pigeon eaten on my lawn by a Sparrowhawk. One also took a young robin once, and sometimes I see a few feathers on the lawn that suggests other kills have taken place. In and near a local park I have seen a Sparrowhawk down a pigeon.

Sparrowhawks have been common in NE England for a few years, a male regularly resting on my back fence - every other bird disappears from my garden, while he gives me a look (very orange eyes) as though I am something he has stepped in. There are trees in the street outside but our area is far from rural.

We had a sparrow hawk land in our garden with it’s prey recently. Watching it have “lunch” from our lounge was such a great treat and real pleasure. They truly are beautiful birds. My thanks for the wider information you have provided about them, which was most interesting.

@martinconnelly1473

8 ай бұрын

My neighbour used to have a bird table in his garden. It was like a drive through for a sparrow hawk. It (or they) flew in from the other side, grabbed their meal and landed on my grass to feed. Even when I did not see the actual event there was often a small collection of feathers left as evidence of what had happened.

I have mixed feelings about this bird. It is beautiful and I love seeing them regularly in our garden but I also find it quite stressful due to them not killing their catch straight away before starting to eat it. I find it quite traumatic hearing the cry’s of the captured bird! 😳😢

Hi Liam brilliant video again I love birds of prey I occasionally get a kestrel in my garden after the small birds keep up the great work and videos Bernard

Top drawer as always Liam. I heard that a large female sparrowhawk is hard to tell apart from a small male goshawk. Any chance of a goshawk video sometime?

An amazing bird to watch. Thanks for the introduction to them.

Another fascinating video Liam. There's quite a decent population of Sparrowhawks around the area where I live, although I've only ever seen females. Even seen them a few times in my back garden, usually sitting in one of my trees looking out for prey. I even saw one swooping down and taking a starling once.

I belong to a few pigeon flyer sites and although I live in the US, I read countless articles/ posts on the Sparrow Hawks and the damage they do to pigeon lofts. Pigeon flocks. They remind me of the Coopers Hawks here in America. Looks wise, habits and habitat, and especially the prey! Meanwhile, do you know if they're members of the Accepitor family? ( yes, I'm sure I botched the spelling!) Goshawks, Sharp Shined, & Coopers Hawks all are and share many of the same traits. Great video and don't expect many accolades from the pigeon fancy!

@AShotOfWildlife

8 ай бұрын

Here I think most of the pigeon fanciers select peregrines as their hated bird of prey but I'm sure sparrowhawks aren't the top of their Christmas list either. Yes, they are members of the Accipiter family so closely related to goshawks etc.

As always, you do a wonderful job when you make your videos. I really appreciate your presentations and if you ever visit west Cornwall I would really enjoy meeting up with you. Peter

@AShotOfWildlife

8 ай бұрын

Thanks Peter. Of course, Cornwall is on my list of places to visit so if I do get round that way, i'll give you a shout. Its always great to get local knowledge!

About 2 years ago i was mowing the back garden, where I regularly see a lot of feathers from a Sparrow Hawk kill, well anyway I bent over to unlock the cuttings box from the lawn mower and suddenly get hit in the back of the head with something, stood up thinking it was my mate messing about cause I hadn't heard him come in to garden with mower going, no one there! Look down to see what it was and there at my feet was a Sparrow Hawk with a Pigeon in its talons, both looking up at me as if to say "What!" lol well the sparrow hawk let go of the pigeon and the pigeon got away and then the Sparrow Hawk also flew away!

@Clive697

8 ай бұрын

That's at least two comments discussing a pigeon kill in this comments section. Surprising, as a pigeon's a similar size to a sparrow hawk, so the risk of receiving damage if the prey struggles must surely be higher than when taking a sparrow, for instance. Perhaps pigeons are just easier to catch?

@shuggiemcg1

8 ай бұрын

@CliveofEngland it may well be as you say easier to catch or the abundance of them

Monday morning ,the rain is throwing itself to the ground ,just watched the video about sparrow hawks .wow .life is good .well done fella . amazing filming

Great vlog on sparrowhawks, Liam. Good information as always, on their prey and lifestyle.

Beautiful birds

I have been really looking forward to you doing a Sparrowhawk video. As always brilliant learning, thanks Liam 👍

@AShotOfWildlife

8 ай бұрын

Thank you, I hope it was worth the wait!

Great vid..don't think I've heard their call before. Had one visit the garden a few times last year - there's a long hedge full of sparrows nearby - but haven't seen one this year. Thanks Liam, another wonderful vid 🕊.

So well done. Thanks mate. 👍

@AShotOfWildlife

8 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it, cheers!

Fortunately the sparrows in my garden are cleverer than the sparrow hawk. They disappear into the hedges and the hawk is unable to get into the tight spaces. The hawk gives up and sits on top of bird table just watching in frustration. The hawk gives up and only comes back once a month or so. (I feed 40 -50 sparrows a day) (also 40 starlings) (6 pigeons (3 different breeds)) And a Gull that sits on my car waiting to be fed

I loved this great work

@AShotOfWildlife

4 ай бұрын

Thank you!

Awesome

@AShotOfWildlife

8 ай бұрын

Thank you!

I use your videos to learn more and more about the wonderful diverse wildlife we have in this country😊 you’ve also encouraged me to get out more and try and find them too😂

Great video, thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Another great video

@AShotOfWildlife

8 ай бұрын

Thanks!

Awesome as always :) Thank you

❤️ watching this. I’ve had 👍🏻 views of Sparrowhawks . About 30yrs ago walking the dog one just appeared with a kill. Plucking the feathers 🪶 on a fence post then another. Then flew away with its kill. Probably a starlings or blackbird

Another cracking video Liam! Beautiful birds! Thanks for such excellent content.

@AShotOfWildlife

8 ай бұрын

Thank you Alan!

Picked one up from my garden last year. A juvenile with legs that didn't work so took it to the RSPB laid on its back in a shoe box but sat up so it could see where it was going in its Mini Cooper flying up the dual carriageway. Was as good as gold and mesmerized but was put to sleep as it had a congenital deformation not allowing it to hunt.

@AShotOfWildlife

8 ай бұрын

Good job trying to help it but its a shame it couldnt be saved. At least it didnt suffer any more.

There is a great video elsewhere showing a hawk flying towards prey very fast, and through a gap in a tree, where it lifts both wings up to get through!

@gsedd1001

7 ай бұрын

It was a Goshawk in a wood in the UK

Collared doves near me, saw one sprip a dove down to the carcass and fly of with it! Must have been hungry 🤣Majestic bird we don't see enough of. 👍

Great video Liam. What a beautiful bird the sparrow hawk is.

I have a pair of spars that hunt in my garden ,they alway get the birds that are slowest to take off so keep the bird population healthy ,and yeah they leave their pray feather all over the bottom of my UK garden .

Had one of these catch a female blackbird in my garden last year, on the outskirts of Glasgow. At first I thought it was an injured pigeon, but as I got closer I realised what it was. I was alerted to it because all of the jackdaws were on the roofs around my garden making a huge racket, obviously warning of the presence of a predator.

I had one in my garden after taking a pigeon last year, unfortunately only got a very grainy shot but an awesome sight none the less. Great video Liam :)

@AShotOfWildlife

8 ай бұрын

Lucky you seeing that in the garden. Not so lucky for the pigeon but thats the way nature goes.

@davefave4351

8 ай бұрын

I've seen two sparrowhawks, male and female, in the grounds of my block in South London - one, the larger female, on a damp and grey Sunday lunchtime, took one of my hand tame pigeons that clustered around when I appeared in the morning with the feed bucket. Here died Charlie, A pigeon, debonair, Victim of a sparrow hawk, Swiftly silent through the air. Hand fed and pampered, You were always my mate, When down swept a raptor, Poor Chas to predate. Talon torn, beak ripped, Eviscerated, deftly plucked, I'm really sorry Charlie, You were right royally shall we leave that there?! RIP Charlie. ??/2018/19? - 29/09/2019

I was outside work two weeks ago, just about to move when i saw two birds in the air about ten feet away, i stopped thinking it was two Pigeons, turn out to be a Sparrowhawk on a Pigeon, caught it and landed a feet away from my feet, i just froze, the sparrowhawk was looking around her, then flew off with caught pigeon, just an amazing sight, so i know now it was a female. great film btw

Oh gosh! I think Ive seen one this past week. It sat initially on electric cable but then flew in a straight line at the same height as cable. Then I saw a couple of days later chaos slightly higher up with little birds flying all over the place as what I believed to be Sparrowhawk trying to catch one. I had no idea they would pick off larger birds also though. NW Highlands.

Wonderful vid. Thank you, my friend.

Fascinating ! Thanks Liam 👍

Thanks for sharing and the info Liam. Fantastic birds and I've had several kills in my back garden. I've also posted a video on KZread of one hunting in my back garden which went on for sometime. Amazing to watch but the hawk didn't get anything on the occasion.

💖💖

@AShotOfWildlife

8 ай бұрын

Thank you!

Just five minutes ago I spotted a young looking male sat on my fence for at least five minutes... I managed to open my door and view for a minute with binoculars before it took flight! ..

@AShotOfWildlife

9 күн бұрын

Brilliant! I am glad you got a close encounter, I havent seen one for a little while now.

Excellent stuff. Reference material, I’ll keep coming back to this video. Please make more on other animals including British mammals & of course birds.

Awesome! …. well done fella …. 👌

Great vid love. X

I have one regularly buzzing the birds in my feeders, and then they cruise over to my neighbours feeders. They never land though. I saw one 2 years ago, it had killed a pigeon in the middle of a lane I was driving down. I stopped and wound down my window, it was directly below me, spreading it's wings protecting the kill. We looked at each other for a minute before I drove off, a beautiful encounter. In the same lane on another day coming from the other direction, I encountered a Tawney Owl in almost identical circumstances.

Fabulous birds . I am blessed to have them visit my place .

I’ve got a video of a sparrow hawk feeding on a live wood pigeon in my back garden but sadly didn’t see the official strike take care

Absolutely beautiful bird. Great video.

This will be divisive but here goes. A few years ago I was out hunting at dusk for a Muntjac deer, I was sat at the top of a track in my vehicle calling with a squeak caller to try and entice it out into the open. I saw a bird flying up the hill along the track about 12" off the ground towards me and it dropped out of sight and appeared to fly under my vehicle but immediately landed on the barrel of my rifle which was resting on the wing mirror and the butt still in my shoulder. We had a stand off for approx four/five seconds when neither of us blinked or moved, before it took off. It was approx 10" from my face. Not the first time I've had a creature on my rifle barrel as the first time was a weasel but that's another story.

Fabulous video ! We have a resident sparrowhawk pair in our area , they are both beautiful birds ! Those piercing eyes are stunning !!!

Wonderful video 👍

Brilliant

I am privileged to have many wild birds visiting here and over the years I've had increasing numbers of sparrowhawks. I usually take the losses as just a part of nature's way, losing several smaller birds each year. I've looked after greater spotted woodpeckers (initially as a promise to the elderly lady who sold me this house) over the last 25 years, and seen their numbers increase each year. The sparrowhawks fail more often than win. A few years ago I was watching a woodpecker on one of the feeders on a breezy day when suddenly a s-h shot in and missed its target. While recovering from the exertion (I find that they often need a rest after a failed stoop), on top of my PVC sheet "squirrel-baffle", I realised that the feeding woodpecker was still motionless on the far side of the feeder, very aware of the s-h. The s-h, however, was unaware of the woodie, frozen in place on the peanut feeder. I was fascinated by how this would play out - rather hoping that the s-h would catch its breath and clear off. Unbelievably the wind very slowly turned the peanut feeder around, exposing the increasingly unhappy woodie. Still the s-h didn't notice the woodie as it had remained motionless - but certainly in the wrong place. I was horrified to see the woodie eventually panic and try to shoot off to safety. Wrong move. S-h had it pinned to the lawn within 10 metres - incredible skill and speed! I'm sure that if the woodie had just held its nerve for a few more seconds Mrs s-h would have gone on her way to find a different victim. Last year we lost at least 3 woodies, putting a large dent in local numbers. I decided to step in a little as I think that it was getting a bit too easy for the hunters here (shooting fish in a barrel was a suitable comparison). After long deliberation I bought 8 x 4m white fibreglass rods and used 4 to shield each peanut feeder in a kinda 'wigwam' setup, just to make it a trickier ambush route. So far this year I've only seen 1 (unsuccessful) s-h visit, but there's still been several feather-piles around the lawn, so food is still being taken but hopefully the woodies will be able to build up their numbers again. I'd like to see more woodpigeons, magpies, jays & crows taken from hereabouts! Sorry for long comment but hope the story is interesting for folk.

Excellent

Great video. We get Collared Sparrowhawks visiting our backyard in suburban Brisbane, Australia. They're usually chasing the feral rock pigeons that steal our chicken food. They often get confused here with Brown Goshawks that look very similar. The easiest way I've found to tell the difference is the Sparrowhawks have skinny legs. There's also the saying, Sparrowhawks stare, Goshawks glare.

We have a pair keep visiting our garden in Eastbourne

Being an avid birdwatcher in the 1970's when there was all the problems with DDT and very other boy being an egg collector Sparrowhawks in the part of Essex where I lived were non existent. It meant that I had to wait till around 1993 before I saw my first one, but what an impressive entry. Sitting on the edge a bit of a grassy area on a big industrial estate in Basildon watching sparrows and starlings at lunch time we witnessed one come out of nowhere and taken down a sparrow. Very impressive. See them everywhere now, along with Peregrines, Red Kites and others.

Hi 👋 many people think for some reason female Sparrowhawk have brown wings ! This is only true for juvenile of both males and females females are slate grey in adult plumage although males are more colourful usually especially on the lighter fronts and face cheeks I filmed a 5 year old female nesting this year check her colours out on my KZread channel Some people have told me she is a male because of her colours, I have filmed her at the nest for 3 years from 3m away so I know the bird well and males don’t lay and incubate eggs 🥚 and feed small chicks

@AShotOfWildlife

8 ай бұрын

Hi Robert. Firstly, great to see you have watched one of my videos, I'm a big fan of your videos (although I mainly watch them on fscebook). To me females do look more brownish over the wings than males and of course a lot of online sources state the same thing (including the rspb www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/sparrowhawk/) but I do bow down to your knowledge, if the one you are filming has grey wings I do not doubt that is the case. Perhaps it's like the colouration of males and becomes more intense with age?

@kevinparker461

8 ай бұрын

Lots of people see the orange coloured breast feathers & think its a male. Not always correct. I trained & flew Sparrowhawks for over 30 years & i also bred them in captivity for over 10 years. Females often, in their first & second years have an orange coloured breast.

@RobertEFuller

8 ай бұрын

@@AShotOfWildlife Hi yes this is a strange one as both males and females colours become more intense as they get older but all adult plumage females have grey feathers on there backs and wings and some get very intense colours on there breasts cheeks and flanks, but not quite as well coloured as the males. The information on the RSPB is incorrect as it is in many other sources unfortunately Dave Culley is doing a film on Sparrowhawks next year and is using the female that I have filmed to touch on this subject of female colouring, he has spent more time studying and filming them than anyone else in in the world

@paulstuckey9993

8 ай бұрын

In South Wales we know the male sparrowhawk as a musket. Be nice to see a video on a goshawk. Good video, well done

👏👍👌🤘

@AShotOfWildlife

8 ай бұрын

Thank you!