advice on sparrowhawks needed please

[DJ]

hi  can anyone tell me me if sparrowhawks take pigeons out of the sky or if they only attack when the pigeons are in or around the garden/loft or on the ground?  im asking cos every time the hawk has struck its always attacked my pigeons while they are in the garden and i have managed to save my pigeons and frighten the hawk away but i still have some pigeons missing?  im trying to work out the best way to protect my pigeons and i now only let them out for excercise twice weekly but it seems that the hawks are there whenever my pigeons go out >   can anybody give me some info/advice please    debbie

[les]

your not on your own ,i have solved my problems ,but just recently a lot of folk are starting to have trouble and it is going to be the worst season for hawks that we have had in years because there is 2or 3 times more than last year ,there is only one answer and it is dont bother to frighten it away frighten it that much you scare it to death just like it is doing to your birds ,it sounds like a sparrow hawk and it will  hit  the birds in the sky to make them go to the ground then eat them alive. .

[blaz]

buy a good air gun and next time it has bird in garden

[Novice]

At the moment the use of "Mylar" tape is being evaluated.

This is a reflective strip of tape which comes in strips abput 2 inches wide. It is hung around the gardens.

At the moment there have been no conclusions drawn on whether or not this works.

The alternative is the dummy Eagle Owl.

Both of these remedies should be placed on the normal flight path of the predator to be fully effective.

These are about the only legal measures we can take.

[Dave barrie]

get a gun but hey :o :odont let anayone see ya???

[Dave barrie]

no but seriously, the male hawk is normaly up high, but the hen is an ambush hunter, she will glide over fences without being seen, then its too late.SAD BUT TRUE.

[Dave barrie]

YOU CAN TRY OLD CD DISCS TIED ON A STRING ACROSS THE GARDEN TO REFLECT LIGHT OR PAINT A PAIR OF BIG OWL EYES, THAT WORKS OR BETTER STILL   STICK TO THE GUN ?   BUT  HIDE,,

[DJ]

thanks everyone for your replies but since last year when the hawk first appeared i have tried cd discs pinned to the fences and hanging on string  when that didnt work i tried playing the eagle owl cd b4 letting my birds out which worked for about 6 months and then the hawks reappeared again >  i now have a 22 but the hawk appears so quickly that by the time i get it the hawk has gone  ive had the local police visit me cos a neighbour saw my friend with the 22 and accused him of trying to shoot her cat so have to be careful with that now   a hawk chased a stray into my garden a few days ago and without thinking i run down the garden to chase the hawk off the stray when what i should have done is got the 22  anyway i saved the stray and its being picked up this weekend by the owner  last year i could cope with the hawks but this year has been much worse >  when will the rspb pull their head out of their a*s and accept what the hawks are doing to our birds and the wild birds?  hopefully this mylar tape will help ?   debbie

[Guest asha]

Hi Dj,hen Sparrowhawks are no big problem,as long as you have a system in place to keep her under control,shooting will only give you very short respite,as the next one will be waiting to take it`s place within the week.

   Basic points KNOW YOUR ENEMY, she will take 2,3,4 or more birds if you have plenty out,just eating neck and both sides of backbone(especially  youngbirds justweaned outside and leave them still alive to come back if she can find nothing as tasty)

     !0 15 years ago most hawks migrated,but many stay full year now,i suppose plenty of laterbred racers learning to fly autumn time,because of fanciers losing somany youngsters in racing season.

    She now seems to attack sept onwards,cumulating as her feriocity in attacks heighten just before her egg laying beginsaround 2-3 rd week april,after this you will have no problems at all till sept time,when juveniles being playing with bigger prey,ie the pigeon.

    Basic management would be to make sure any youngsters you intend to bred should not be old enough to be let outside of loft till end of April ,ideal for distance minded fanciers,big big problem for sprint boys who love to play with youngsters.

   Basic management for oldbirds should be put in place,so they are under your total control,feeding wise,any system where as soon as you see them beginning to come down,(GET THEM IN QUICK),probable roundabout,celebacy,dual widowhood,so no lovemaking which  takes the birds minds of their protagonist.

   works very well,and suits distance boys beautifully,or did do except now with attacks sept time latebreds learinng the game are cannon fodder,but that`s the pigeon game nowadays and in the words of Ben Tyree,THEIR SOLDIERS AMOS,IT COMES WITH THE UNIFORM AND PRETTY GIRLS.

    Hope this helps

                  

 

[Guest Owen]

Debbie, I have tried all sorts of these fancy ideas on scaring off hawks. Model owls, CD discs presented in a variety of ways, noise, flashing lights the lot. Ideally, I want to keep my pigeons without the hassle of defending them against hawks. I don't mind if there are hawks hanging from every bush and lamp post as long as they leave me alone. It's a free Country, and I am quite happy if the RSPB carry on doing what they do as long as they leave me out of their equasions. But nothing is that simple.

To answer your question. Yes. Both sparrow hawks and their big brother goshawks take pigeons in flight. The female sparrowhawk literally rides them down to the ground and proceeds to eat them alive. Goshawks slash at the birds causing injury and drops on them after they hit the ground. It is normally the female sparrow hawk that causes the problems around human habitation.

This is how you can tactfully and effectively deal with the hawks with the minimum of risk to yourself. And put the gun away because, if you have already got a neighbour on your case, you will enevitably get hassle sooner or later. I did.

Go on the internet and look up Swedish Goshawk Trap. Get one made up and use it very tactfully. They are brilliant at catching magpies, crows and almost anything that flies. Remember, these hawks will normally come back to a kill. So use any kills in your trap, they are the best bait.

Due to the fact that anything you catch will be alive, you can always argue that you mean it no harm.

As an aside, the best way to deal with cats is by using an electric fencer. The type that people use for other livestock from chickens to horses. They don't harm the cats but they are very effective. You will also have dealt with dogs and foxes at the same time.

If you want any more info, give me a shout.

[walterbmasson]

 

 

 

DJ  HAVE YOU GOT ANY TREES ABOUT YOUR PLACE IF YOU HAVE I WILL SEND YOU MULTI MONI NETTING TO CATCH THEM IT WILL JUST COST YOU THE CARRIAGE JUST SO YOU CAN SEE HOW GOOD THIS TRANSPARENT NETTING IS SO YOU  CAN LET OTHER FANCIERS KNOWIT WILL SORTA LOT OF THEM OUT 100 METERS WEIGHTS ABOUT 3LB   8) 8) 8) 8)

[Guest Freebird]

Hi Dj,hen Sparrowhawks are no big problem,as long as you have a system in place to keep her under control,shooting will only give you very short respite,as the next one will be waiting to take it`s place within the week.

   Basic points KNOW YOUR ENEMY, she will take 2,3,4 or more birds if you have plenty out,just eating neck and both sides of backbone(especially  youngbirds justweaned outside and leave them still alive to come back if she can find nothing as tasty)

     !0 15 years ago most hawks migrated,but many stay full year now,i suppose plenty of laterbred racers learning to fly autumn time,because of fanciers losing somany youngsters in racing season.

    She now seems to attack sept onwards,cumulating as her feriocity in attacks heighten just before her egg laying beginsaround 2-3 rd week april,after this you will have no problems at all till sept time,when juveniles being playing with bigger prey,ie the pigeon.

    Basic management would be to make sure any youngsters you intend to bred should not be old enough to be let outside of loft till end of April ,ideal for distance minded fanciers,big big problem for sprint boys who love to play with youngsters.

   Basic management for oldbirds should be put in place,so they are under your total control,feeding wise,any system where as soon as you see them beginning to come down,(GET THEM IN QUICK),probable roundabout,celebacy,dual widowhood,so no lovemaking which  takes the birds minds of their protagonist.

   works very well,and suits distance boys beautifully,or did do except now with attacks sept time latebreds learinng the game are cannon fodder,but that`s the pigeon game nowadays and in the words of Ben Tyree,THEIR SOLDIERS AMOS,IT COMES WITH THE UNIFORM AND PRETTY GIRLS.

    Hope this helps

                  

Excellent post asha. Very informative, thanks.

 

 

[Roland]

A glass cage made of toughen Glass. Mesh bottom. Back glass etc. for a door to open to glue some twigs, perches in. Preferable on a Pole stand, where you intend to place the cock Canaries in.

[sammy]

A glass cage made of toughen Glass. Mesh bottom. Back glass etc. for a door to open to glue some twigs, perches in. Preferable on a Pole stand, where you intend to place the cock Canaries in.

 

here roland i happen to breed canaries and think that that is down right cruelty on them there are other ways in which it can be trapped without using live bait   :( would have thought better from you roland

[Guest IB]

As the gun thing has been pointed out as illegal, worth pointing out too that any kind of trap is illegal too. If you have a neighbour on your case, best keep squeaky clean, cos even having one of these traps could cost you a few grand fine.

 

Cock sparrowhawk doesn't come into it, too small to take pigeons, it's the hen sparrowhawk thats your main bother, skilled ambush merchant. Need to make sure that there are no hiding places in your garden. I put CDs up last year, and I think they need to be mobile, move with the wind and reflect 'dancing' light to work properly. If you have windows on the loft, make sure they are clean and reflect light too. If your loft is near your house, make sure those windows are always clean enough to reflect light - all mine  were dirty and dull and I think that was why I suffered one attack last year.

 

You also require to vary your routine, no set times for letting them out, when they are out be there, and if you do get an attack, get them in and keep them in the next day. You do not want to set up a feeding pattern.

 

[hotrod]

As the gun thing has been pointed out as illegal, worth pointing out too that any kind of trap is illegal too. If you have a neighbour on your case, best keep squeaky clean, cos even having one of these traps could cost you a few grand fine.

 

Cock sparrowhawk doesn't come into it, too small to take pigeons, it's the hen sparrowhawk thats your main bother, skilled ambush merchant. Need to make sure that there are no hiding places in your garden. I put CDs up last year, and I think they need to be mobile, move with the wind and reflect 'dancing' light to work properly. If you have windows on the loft, make sure they are clean and reflect light too. If your loft is near your house, make sure those windows are always clean enough to reflect light - all mine  were dirty and dull and I think that was why I suffered one attack last year.

 

You also require to vary your routine, no set times for letting them out, when they are out be there, and if you do get an attack, get them in and keep them in the next day. You do not want to set up a feeding pattern.

i agree ian that the hen is the main bother but the cock will /has killed pigeons down my way and thats a fact,a friend once found a cock sp/k on top of a  blue cock which was more than twice its size, it unfortunately did'nt make it,neithet did the hawk(cock)he phoned me and showed the hawk to me.

 

[Guest IB]

i agree ian that the hen is the main bother but the cock will /has killed pigeons down my way and thats a fact,a friend once found a cock sp/k on top of a  blue cock which was more than twice its size, it unfortunately did'nt make it,neithet did the hawk(cock)he phoned me and showed the hawk to me.

 

Thanks for that Stuart. Unfortunately I was not speaking from first hand experience (haven't seen the cock, plenty sightings of hens) and was passing on what I'd been told by others.

[mark croker]

Swedish Goshawk Trap     

[Fair Play]

Today on the way out I heard a commotion in the church the gulls and crows were going mental had a look and the hen SH had a grip of a streetie, before I could do anything a black cat shot across the grass the hawk took off mobbed by the crows and that streetie went off like a World champion sprinter. This is the third attack in a couple of months the other two didn't make it so I stagger the times I let the birds out rather as i was more a creature of habit roughly out at the same time each day. The big problem is there are about four different lots of feral pigeons in or about the area i live in and we are surrounded by woods on both sides.

[cemetary]

The hen had a hit at me the other day there, she was some size, she must have been flying no more than 10-15 feet, i spotted the starlings up, when i said where are you ya b.....d, then she struck, if i wasnt there the doo was pan breed. They flew all over the place, 1 in the food hut, they were all over the shop, i got  1 back yesterday, she has banged into something, looking very sore, i am going to put fish gut along the back of the lofts for her the next time she trys to ambush from the back.

[Guest Owen]

In answer to IB. He is 100% right when he says that the trap is illegal. But having tried just about everything else, I have found that it is the only thing that works quietly and efficiently all the time. Some years ago I attracted attention to myself by being at odds with neighbours over cats. It all but came to blows on several occasions. The result was that they watched everything I did. Then I hit on the idea of using the electric fencer. It was brilliant. It was a total cure from day one. The good thing was that the cats were unharmed but they never ever came into my place. The result was that the heat was off as far as the neighbours were concerned. And they were not watching me for a chance to cause trouble. It was a little after that the sparrow hawk attacks started. As I had solved the cat problem, and with the aid of a 4ft conifer hedge, I experimented with the Goshawk Trap. Bingo. It worked from the off. After I had sorted my problem out, I lent it out to other people with the same problem and it worked for them as well. My advice is to keep it out of sight, except when you want to use it. Use it and move it. But, in conclusion, it is the only thing that has worked for me.

[Guest kev d]

i live in wellington somerset and theres birds of prey every where round here

my loft is in a compound and i have wire netting all round the compound high up

higher than the loft , i have mine on a open hole as much as i can ok your going to have

some been taken but the rest get street wise very quickly and my losses are about 2 or 3 a season

cheers kev d

                              

[Roland]

 

here roland i happen to breed canaries and think that that is down right cruelty on them there are other ways in which it can be trapped without using live bait   :( would have thought better from you roland

 

Can't see where you are coming from...!!! :-/ :-/ :-/ Who said anything about Live Bait? Indeed the Canaries never see any thing and are definately not hurt. Yep may jump when the Hawk  hits up at the TANK1 Other than that, just have to treat the hawk for a sore head.

 

[Guest ljb107]

Swedish Goshawk Trap     

 

good trap that is, they land on the perch with the prey in the cage underneath and wham its trapped.

 

[Guest IB]

... theres birds of prey every where round here ...

ok your going to have some been taken but the rest get street wise very quickly and my losses are about 2 or 3 a season

cheers kev d

 

I agree, the birds do become streetwise - and so do you - mine only get out at weekends because of my work / short daylight hours - and today had just let the cocks out when I spied a hawk high and scouting our area; when there is a hawk on the go, birds will get above it, and / or leave the area till the coast is clear; sure enough caught sight of mine a minute or so later, higher than the hawk and as it scouted eastward, they p'ss'd off westward.

 

Doesn't always work though, and last year during the YB racing season, I'd one YB out exercising disappear on me, which I think was down to being in the wrong place at wrong time - and taken 'out there' by a hawk.