Sparrowhawk(warning eating prey)Couple more added

kaz10

kaz10

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Looked out the window today and there was the sparrowhawk at the top of the garden with what I think is a dove.Managed to quietly open the patio doors and get loads of shots

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Nice set well Caught (y)
(messy eaters though aint they :D)
 
Thats a tremendous set Kaz you must be well chuffed.

Good of the hawk to choose your garden for his picnic too.
 
A very very nice set. and one i would love myself....


md
 
:agree: with all the foregoing comments Kaz... (y) ...the victim was a Collared Dove... ;)

Great captures... :D






:p
 
Great set, (y)
 
Luke_Herts said:
Brilliant shots especially number 1. What lens were you using?
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Thanks Luke luckily I still had my canon 500f4 + 1.4 convertor set up from the day before so it was a bit of a panic when I thought I have no time to get the tripod so grabbed a small table and leaned on that for support because times like these you have to act quick luckily he stayed about a bit I got some really gruesome shots and he picked it clean
 
kaz10 said:
Thanks Luke luckily I still had my canon 500f4 + 1.4 convertor set up from the day before so it was a bit of a panic when I thought I have no time to get the tripod so grabbed a small table and leaned on that for support because times like these you have to act quick luckily he stayed about a bit I got some really gruesome shots and he picked it clean
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Nice, i usually see fleeting glimpses they never seem to catch anything in my garden.
 
Had a sparrow hawk kill a favourite blackbird in my garden a few months ago. We rushed out in a futile attempt to save it, the sparrow hawk took it a little further up the garden and sat on the fence with it's prey. I was amazed that it let me get maybe only 3 metres away and I got a fantastic look at it, both me and it staring at each other. Blackbird was clearly dead. After 30 seconds or so it just flew up and off it went. Bit sad but also a very good view. No camera at hand though.

Shots look really good here, well done.
 
Wow, all that action in your garden.. Are shots #1 and #2 in the wrong order? the eye being closed in the first and open in the second is making my mind wander.. :shake:
 
err, isn't he a she?

Subperb shots though. I've heard they usually only stay in a garden to eat if they are comfortable and feel safe (although with bigger prey, I guess they don't have much choice!). We've had one eat a woodie in our garden before, fantastic to watch. Woodie didn't put up much of a fight - a few seconds at most
 
CarolF said:
err, isn't he a she?

Subperb shots though. I've heard they usually only stay in a garden to eat if they are comfortable and feel safe (although with bigger prey, I guess they don't have much choice!). We've had one eat a woodie in our garden before, fantastic to watch. Woodie didn't put up much of a fight - a few seconds at most
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not sure if its male or female will have to ask Ven that one
 
A stunning set indeed Kaz, beautiful. What was the f# and shutter on those?
 
Nice stuff Kaz, and well done grabbing the shots (y)

It looks like a Male to me with its colouring, however I would have thought a Dove size bird a bit big for a Male, more like a Females prey.
 
Wilky said:
Are you sure.... looks to me like a wood pidgeon!
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Definitely a Collared Dove Wilky... ;)


CarolF said:
err, isn't he a she?
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kaz10 said:
not sure if its male or female will have to ask Ven that one
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He is definitely a 'She' bird Carol/Kaz... relatively easyily told in this pick by the browny colouring to the back and wings against the male's that will be slate greyish... :D

A good sized meal for the female of the species but the Collared Dove is generally a bit too big for the much smaller male Sprawk... ;)

The male's biggest prey species will normally be Starlings although it will give a Blackbird a go if it's easy pickings... :D

HTH... ;)





:p
 
Amazing shots Kaz, I bet your heart was pounding when you were opening the patio door, I would have been all fingers and thumbs, I could barely stop shaking while holding my camera phone when one landed on my bird feeder once so really well done (y)
 
Brilliant set kaz,(y) and what a great sight to be presented with. You should have known it was a female, it's got lipstick on.;)
 
Good shots. On the first photo the 'dove's' eyes are closed, on the second they are open?
 
Redspider said:
Good shots. On the first photo the 'dove's' eyes are closed, on the second they are open?
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Still alive initially is my guess... :eek: ...happens a lot so it should not surprise... horrible as the thought may be that's cruel nature... :shrug:






:p
 
u8myufo said:
A stunning set indeed Kaz, beautiful. What was the f# and shutter on those?
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Thanks Rich I was glad they came out so well to be honest the top of the garden was in shade the shutter speed was sometimes down to 1/200 and then sometimes went up to 500 so it varied tried to keep the ISO to 400 but sometimes went up to 800.

Thanks Ven on the sexing the bird hubby thought it was a female especially for taking a dove it was a bit hard to start with because it was still alive but thats the photographer in us we have to get the shot
 
kaz10 said:
Thanks Rich I was glad they came out so well to be honest the top of the garden was in shade the shutter speed was sometimes down to 1/200 and then sometimes went up to 500 so it varied tried to keep the ISO to 400 but sometimes went up to 800.

Thanks Ven on the sexing the bird hubby thought it was a female especially for taking a dove it was a bit hard to start with because it was still alive but thats the photographer in us we have to get the shot
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:LOL: It is surprising Kaz how much things change with the slightest of movement, I have been getting into the habit of watching what is happening with shutter etc and adjusting quickly to compensate, but I will say it again those have come out exeptionally well ;)
 
Venomator said:


He is definitely a 'She' bird Carol/Kaz... relatively easyily told in this pick by the browny colouring to the back and wings against the male's that will be slate greyish... :D

A good sized meal for the female of the species but the Collared Dove is generally a bit too big for the much smaller male Sprawk... ;)

The male's biggest prey species will normally be Starlings although it will give a Blackbird a go if it's easy pickings... :D

HTH... ;)

:p
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Not that its important really (but at least the bump keeps these excellent shots near the top of the subforum :) )
But the sprawk is definately a male. Females never have rufous on the underparts. Or at the absolute most very little rufous. Certainly not to this birds extent.
Size wise Females dwarf Collared doves whereas Males and Collared Doves are in the same size range.

A good example is from wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Accipiter_nisus_female.jpg
 
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peat said:
Not that its important really (but at least the bump keeps these excellent shots near the top of the subforum :) )
But the sprawk is definately a male. Females never have rufous on the underparts. Or at the absolute most very little rufous. Certainly not to this birds extent.
Size wise Females dwarf Collared doves whereas Males and Collared Doves are in the same size range.

A good example is from wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Accipiter_nisus_female.jpg
Click to expand...

I have to agree with Peat. This bird is clearly a male Sparrowhawk. I'm surprised that the colour of the upperparts is being described by "Ven" (?) as brown, because on my monitor it is the standard shade of grey one would expect of a male in, perhaps, his 3rd year. The ginger around the sides of the neck and on the lower ear-coverts, the size of the bird when compared to the prey item (a Collared Dove) eliminate the possiblity of it being a female.
Belting shots, you lucky lady!
 
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Don't females have yellow legs? (sparrowhawks that is!!)
Maybe its a juvenile female?
 
I am no expert on these birds but looking in my book I have to go with Ven and that it is a female the male has orange legs and no pale line over the eye on these images it clearly shows the pale line over the eye also the male in my book anyway looks very orange below and on the face
 
Fab shots - #3 very scary
'you ain't seen me - right?'
thank goodness the opening of the patio did not scare it away.
 
Not wanting to get bogged down and divert attention away from what is a fabulous set but, as I said in my first post, this is a Male Sparrowhawk.
I'll address the points one by one:

1. The leg colour is irrelevant and does not indicate either sex at any age.
2. White above the eye (it's called a supercillium) is often present on younger males (see: http://www.machrihanishbirds.org.uk...parrowhawk Machrihanish SBO 10th Sept '08.jpg).
3. Again, the amount of, lets call it orange, varies from bird to bird depending on the age and state of moult (again, refer to link above in item 2). At no time does a female show this colouring of any degree.
4. The bird is way to small for a female.
 
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