Willpar wrote: Tue Aug 31, 2021 10:51 pm
Sad to see butterfly. Gardens are good hunting grounds for such birds.
They sure are Willpar, they sure are . All I can do is make my garden as unattractive hunting ground as possible, meaning I will shoo and scare them off every time I am around, and I will "take" their pray, all in hope that they think "this is not a good investment/reward ratio"
It has been my experience that Sparrowhawks are not particularly frightened of humans. Respectful is probably a better word. They will flyoff if challenged but that does not deter them for another day. I had one male who was a regular visitor for several years who flew very close to me in an attempt to grab a bird nearby. A failure to succeed was no deterrent as he knew there were always likely targets for another day.
I had a first in the garden today. My attention had been drawn to the hanging fatball feeder by the arrival of a family of LTTs. they were flitting in and out of my Dog rose bush to take their turn on the feeder when I noticed another bird in the same vicinity. I had the binoculars handy and quickly focussed to see a Chiffchaff Chances are it's been around before but that is the first official sighting.
A juvenile Sparrowhawk. It had tried to make a kill in my front garden and ended up on my drive empty taloned. This is the first time I've ever seen a Sprawk in my front garden.
. All I can do is make my garden as unattractive hunting ground as possible, meaning I will shoo and scare them off every time I am around, and I will "take" their pray, all in hope that they think "this is not a good investment/reward ratio" 
Chances are it's been around before but that is the first official sighting. 
