sparrowhawk attack

[Guest marksimpson]

can any one help me with any ideas on how to stop this problem ?

[Guest mikkey]

hiya mate ive lost a few birds to a hawk in my area and ive found theres not much u can do, when i let my birds out i dont let them sit on the roof once they have had their fly, i get them in as soon as possible usually within about 5 minutes because the hawk gets a bigger advantage when it attacks the birds from the roof, than when they are already in the air ........... good luck mate  :-/ :-/ :-/

[Guest IB]

Recollections from members posts over the years (Birds of Prey thread) :-

 

They rely on surprise / ambush taking the birds when they are on the ground. Make sure there is nowhere in your garden that they can launch an attack from, like a handy tree, or bush.

 

Shiny CDs dangling from the front of your loft. Got to keep them clean though, rely on reflected light 'putting the hawk off' when it is lining up for attack.

 

There is a CD of eagle owl calls doing the rounds (available for download on this site somewhere). Members have played this in the garden for an hour before letting their birds out.

 

Encourage crows if you can, they mob hawks and this gives other wild birds the signal that there's a hawk about. They take their cue from this, so will your pigeons. They will become streetwise and learn the best form of defence is to get in the air, above the hawk.

 

Lastly, when your birds are out, make sure you are out there with them at all times. You are just as much a deterrant as anything else mentioned here.

[Guest mikkey]

Recollections from members posts over the years (Birds of Prey thread) :-

 

They rely on surprise / ambush taking the birds when they are on the ground. Make sure there is nowhere in your garden that they can launch an attack from, like a handy tree, or bush.

 

Shiny CDs dangling from the front of your loft. Got to keep them clean though, rely on reflected light 'putting the hawk off' when it is lining up for attack.

 

There is a CD of eagle owl calls doing the rounds (available for download on this site somewhere). Members have played this in the garden for an hour before letting their birds out.

 

Encourage crows if you can, they mob hawks and this gives other wild birds the signal that there's a hawk about. They take their cue from this, so will your pigeons. They will become streetwise and learn the best form of defence is to get in the air, above the hawk.

 

Lastly, when your birds are out, make sure you are out there with them at all times. You are just as much a deterrant as anything else mentioned here.

 

some good ideas there but will the cds scare the pigeons too ??

[Pete M]

Hi

  this was taken in my garden, hawk with a feral pigeon, luckily I have not lost one bird to hawks they seem to take ferals on the ground

[REDCHEQHEN]

 

some good ideas there but will the cds scare the pigeons too ??

 

which CD'S - the owl noise (no- from experience)

 

hanging CD's - don't know but would imagine they'd get used to it

[Guest mikkey]

where do i get the owl noise cd???

[Guest j v ward]

eagle owl cd works

[Roland]

The rest is viable, but the ... Encourage crows if you can, they mob hawks and this gives other wild birds the signal that there's a hawk about. They take their cue from this, so will your pigeons. They will become streetwise and learn the best form of defence is to get in the air, above the hawk. A fallacy.

The sparrow hawks 150 yrds from my loft  has finished the crows off. Yes they did dive and bomb them etc. till hawk was hungry! Soon made short thrift of them. Leave a couple of pigeons in a glass fish tank works, but the best is a simple wire cage. A part in bottom covered with wire a gain. On top in the middle a simple wire neck going inwards  - like a saupan - is by far the most effective and 100%. They can climb like parrots, so when first startled they try o fly out, but with wings out they can't of course. So the climb upwards on the side, even inwards to the middle, but never work out downwards and up again etc.

Is a Download of the Owl C D. on here I believe... I know I put it into easy download mode for everyone to simplely copy ... if not I will put another one up ... or Tammy will send you one - mostly but of course can't speak for Tammy... Indeed he struggles to do so himself ... Come to think of it, even at all! ;D ;D

[Guest IB]

The rest is viable, but the ... Encourage crows if you can, they mob hawks and this gives other wild birds the signal that there's a hawk about. They take their cue from this, so will your pigeons. They will become streetwise and learn the best form of defence is to get in the air, above the hawk. A fallacy.

The sparrow hawks 150 yrds from my loft  has finished the crows off. Yes they did dive and bomb them etc. till hawk was hungry! Soon made short thrift of them.

 

Its no fallacy - it happens here every day. Its really a video job Roland, so it'll be a long time before I can get the film evidence.

 

Should have mentioned that this bit is from my own personal experience. There are hundreds of 'carrion crow' around here, they roost in the local woods 1/2 mile away from me - crows, ravens, jackdaw - and scavenge the parks and shops around here.

 

In the early days they were the enemy cos one or two loved to dive in the middle of my YBs on their 1st day out and scare the life out of them. Then I saw the crows at work on the buzzards and hawks whenever they come over. So now before my youngsters get out for the first time, they spend around 2 weeks in the aviary watching whats going on outside.

 

And as soon as they see the other birds take to the air, they are up there too. If its a peregrine, they clear the area  for a while.

 

 

Leave a couple of pigeons in a glass fish tank works, but the best is a simple wire cage. A part in bottom covered with wire a gain. On top in the middle a simple wire neck going inwards  - like a saupan - is by far the most effective and 100%. They can climb like parrots, so when first startled they try o fly out, but with wings out they can't of course. So the climb upwards on the side, even inwards to the middle, but never work out downwards and up again etc.

 

Careful with your advice, Roland. If the member gets caught you've just cost him maybe 6 months pay, and the rest of us law abiding pigeon folk get tarred as wildlife criminals.

 

Only thing you are allowed to trap is a member of the crow family, and the only thing allowed in the trap is another member of the crow family. And then there's the other thing about these traps - you need a License. Even having one without a License costs you.

[Roland]

IB Yes they do 'Mobb' hawks agreed, but that is all, the hawks / like Kites just tolerate them. Sparrow hawks have got shot of the crows near me, and are using their' old nest.

[Guest mikkey]

once the hawk has hold of your pigeon they dont give a toss what the crows do,and that is a fact i know because ive seen it happen with my pigeons

[sammy]

IB Yes they do 'Mobb' hawks agreed, but that is all, the hawks / like Kites just tolerate them. Sparrow hawks have got shot of the crows near me, and are using their' old nest.

 

Maybe thats what happens down your way roland but up here in my place of work sparrowhawk is there daily making a catch only to be mob by the crows who steal it and eat themselves there are just cannibals now crows  

[doo.racer]

Keep them in or at least on a short chain till mid April. The sparrowhawk will then be out of your way for a while when she is sitting eggs

[jimmywylie]

we fly our pigeons in a compound ,surrounded by woodland. along with 4 other compounds. there has been several kills in the past month .the sparrowhawk  hen is the culprit..but when she kills there is a pair of buzzards come down and snatch the kill from her .the compound that has been hit flys an open bowl. my advice be with your birds when they are excercising .when you want them in .get them in ,then you know they are safe.open bowl are sitting targets here.

[Guest marksimpson]

thanks lads for all your advice dose any body no where i can get a figure of an eagle owl?

[tippler1]

what i do is send rockets up at them thay stay well away from mine now

[Guest IB]

once the hawk has hold of your pigeon they dont give a toss what the crows do,and that is a fact i know because ive seen it happen with my pigeons

 

Misunderstood what I was saying I think: around here the hawk doesn't get a chance to catch anything; as soon as it makes an appearance overhead, there's a squadron of crows up after it. They harass/ mob / follow it till its out of the area. And no they don't get taken, because they are either level with or above the hawk and out of danger.

 

Everything grounded round about takes to the air while this is going on; they get above the hawk, so they are out of danger and the sky can be full of birds going in different directions.

[Guest IB]

yes some thing on tv about game keepers useing pigeons in traps , they got fined

 

Didn't say as much, but that's part of the bigger picture too.

 

Kelso gamekeeper was done for it, he himself starred in BBC film about it. He was also charged with causing the pigeon unnecessary suffering (it had to be put down afterwards, *expletive removed* wing damaged trying to escape the trap).

 

If a pigeon fancier got done for causing the pigeon unnecessary suffering, then the next thing that the Court would slap on him would be a lifetime ban from keeping pigeons. Thats been 'par for the course' for the Scottish Courts when its an Action brought on Animal Welfare grounds.

 

 

 

[Guest mikkey]

 

Misunderstood what I was saying I think: around here the hawk doesn't get a chance to catch anything; as soon as it makes an appearance overhead, there's a squadron of crows up after it. They harass/ mob / follow it till its out of the area. And no they don't get taken, because they are either level with or above the hawk and out of danger.

 

Everything grounded round about takes to the air while this is going on; they get above the hawk, so they are out of danger and the sky can be full of birds going in different directions.

 

yea i understand what your saying about the crows mate and they do help but ive got a big problem with this female sparrowhawk, i cant risk leaving my birds out on the roof for half an hour to get a bit of sun on their backs because if it attacks the pigeons from a standing start they dont have a cat in hells all my birds what have been killed have been taken when theyve landed then the hawks chased them down, so yes your right about the birds climbing above the hawk its the safest place for them. (unless their in the loft )

[Guest IB]

Crowed a bit to soon - got hit this morning.  >

 

Watched it go over, a single crow in pursuit.

 

15/20 minutes later was getting birds in to feed them, noticed some missing so went back outside to see where they'd gotten to.

 

Sparrowhawk sitting on one on the ground near hedge. Thought pigeon was dead - started to walk towards it, sparrowhawk flies off, pigeon gets up and flies off too, same direction, both out of sight.

 

Goes back in and does a head count, comes back out to a racket in next doors garden, at least 4 crows diving on and mobbing something on the ground. Assumed hawk had got my pigeon again and it was all over for it.

 

Took a wee while but got my 6 missing birds back, including the latebred hen taken - just a few feathers adrift. I must have caught it all in time, but the hawk must have been coming back for another go when the crows spotted it second time around.

 

Pigeons on Lock-up for next few days, and tonight will be looking out CDs for that end of the garden.

[johno]

cd`s do not work. have tried and was hit. maybe playing a sydney devine or dan o`donnell one would work though.

[Guest IB]

First time this has happened to me in 6 years keeping birds here. I've a glass roofed veranda and plastic roof light, often wondered if reflection from these acted as deterrants, but they're dirty now so looks as if they need to be clean at all times? because for years clubmates less than 1/2 mile on either side of me took daily hits, one locked up (eventually moved away) the other (W Orr) put up CDs and reduced daily attacks to Zero attacks. Worked for him for 2/3 years but he started getting hit again last year, so they can and do work - for a while at least.

 

 

 

 

 

[johno]

most things work until the hawk gets used to them. if the cds frighten the hawks why do they not frighten the pigeons?

i have used cds on a compound as have other lofts. we have witnessed the sparrow-hawk passing us to take a pigeon while the whole area has had cds placed all around. nothing in my experience deteres a hungry predator.

[DOVEScot]

most things work until the hawk gets used to them. if the cds frighten the hawks why do they not frighten the pigeons?

i have used cds on a compound as have other lofts. we have witnessed the sparrow-hawk passing us to take a pigeon while the whole area has had cds placed all around. nothing in my experience deteres a hungry predator.

 

I agree, any predator gets used to your defences, best thing is to keep changing them. Whether it be CD's. plastic owls, times you let the birds out, paying the owl cd, or rockets.