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David Hill · 11-04-2013, 06:53 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening

On 11/04/2013 17:42, 'Mike' wrote:

"Roger Tonkin" wrote in message
...

In article ,
says...

We saw it again this morning, in its original spot by the cedar tree.
But this time, it was dive-bombing a rook on the ground! What an
exhausting life! Anyhow, it was swooping back and forth, and seemed to
be trying to get the rook away, so that suggested to us that it is
probably nesting lower down in that tree, or somewhere closeby.

Coincidently, as I was just coming up stairs to the
computer I stopped at the stair landing window to
watch the birds on the feeders for a moment (or 6!).
Suddenly the birds took froght and a sparrow hawk
swooped down, landing on the now empty lawn, but with
a tit of somesort between its claws. I was tempted to
bang the window in the hope it would let go of the
tit, but didn't, deciding it was probably dead anyway,
and the sparrow hawk needed feeding anyway. He sat on
the lawn in full view for about 90 seconds before
flying off with his dinner.

I've watched a Sparrow Hawk fly into a large Hawthorn hedge after a
small bird. and another time watched as one held onto the feeder with
one claw and probed inside trying to get a grip on a Blue Tit inside
with the other.
The Sparrow Hawk flies along the track so any mice I catch get left on
the track and they always go within an hour or so.