On Sat, 30 Jul 2011 18:18:20 +0100, rbel wrote:

On Sat, 30 Jul 2011 10:09:56 +0100, Roger Tonkin
wrote:

Another pile of bluetit feathers this morning!

Whilst I accept that sparrowhawks need to eat and survive, I feel that
by feeding the tits, I am encouraging them and giving the sparrowhawk an
easy meal.

Someone told me that the way to deter the sparrowhawk is to get a model
owl into the garden - anyone tried this, and does it work!

A large model owl could perhaps work as the sparrowhawk may perceive
it as a threat to its own safety. The problem is that it would
probably have the same or a more marked effect on the smaller birds
that you wish to attract to your garden.

Various deterrents have been tried at game bird rearing pens such as
dangling CDs or similar to produce flashing reflections, flashing
lights and particularly for sparrowhawks, tall canes that will
interfere with their fast low-level approach. These sort of measures
are however undoubtedly OTT for a domestic garden.

It is worth bearing in mind that the supply of small birds is, as a
rule, more than enough to keep pace with predation by raptors and that
losses through other causes are far more significant. Having watched
our local male sparrowhawk leisurely dismember a fledgling blackbird
on our rear lawn on Wednesday I appreciate that the evidence of a
raptor strike is more remarkable than the frequent disappearances due
to cats, magpies, disease, starvation etc..

rbel

If we put food out for birds, and birds come and eat it, arguably we
are providing an "artificial" food source, without which, natural
selection would presumably mean that numbers of birds would match the
available "natural" food source. So we help to increase bird numbers.

Indirectly we provide an "artificial" food source for the raptors as,
without our feeding, there would not be a "natural" gathering of birds
in such numbers. But the raptors would still feed and the impact would
be that much greater for the "food birds" who would not exist in such
large numbers were it not for our help.

So don't feel guilty. You are helping both the little birds and the
raptors to maintain their population.

This is what nature is - cruel in many ways. But raptors kill to eat,
not for sport (unlike humans!). I would accept nature as it is.

That said, I have bird feeders hanging in the middle of a large
pyracantha. The little birds seem to get in and out easily but cats
find it more difficult (I'm more "urban" than you in mid-Wales) and
the local sparrow hawk similarly has more difficulty getting at them,
though he does still take a fair few. Filling the feeders is also fun
given the size of the thorns on the shrub!

Cheers
Jake
==============================================
Gardening at the dry end (east) of Swansea Bay
in between reading anything by JRR Tolkien.

www.rivendell.org.uk