Sparrow Hawk attack

[Guest]

It's very difficult for 2 reasons 1,you don't have a safe confined environment where they could be reunited together,2 they are not used to being confined or handled.As they are more like wild birds your confinement and handeling in itself may cause distress.I think you probably need to concentrate on getting the hen well enough to go back to her mate and in the meantime try and sort your hawk problem,there is a way of dealing with this if you use your imagination.

[Guest MBpigeonguy]

yesterday i saw a bald eagle kill a wild pigeon it was a wild pigeon but i still felt for the bird

[Roland]

Yes and you can legally have them. A local Fox hunting faterinty have some... and are trying to let that have THE KILL. but rest assured that a eagle Accomadation, espeacially when let to sit out - is tethered of course - no bird of prey will settle. Am seriously thinking of asking the guy to fly it around my loft ... two parrow hawk nest here 100 odd so yards each side. And just the odd crow. They made short thrift of them when they decided to take up residence... the Sparrow Hawks that is.

[THE FIFER]

Forgot to mention my friend encourages and feeds crows outside his lofts,he recons they help protect the pigeons because they are very terratorial and will mob any hawks that turn up.I have never tried this,but he says it helps

 

yes but they will also go for ur birds, when feeding young, i lost 8 to the carrion crows once,

[Roland]

Very True and Bill Butterfield losy 13 in one season. Magpies a pain too... but a few disc flickering in the SUN keeps them at bay... not dull das of course.

[Guest TAMMY_1]

eagle owl would take out a sparrow hawk

 

these owls take any birds of prey , they have been seen to take adult peregrines out nests , and the more they take the better, they were introduced to a quarry in norway that had a lot of peregrines nestin and within weeks there was not a peregrine in sight, just hope the ones that are breeding in the uk multiply rapidly and maybe this will redress the balance of hawks, nature always seems to have a way of equallising things, because whatever seems to come up there is always something to knock it back down, just wish it would hurry up this time

[Judi B]

I agree, hopefully the eagle owls will be successful in breeding but what do we do in the meantime?

 

So many questions...?

My little hen is still alive and quite perky but has no skin on the back of her neck. It looks as though the "horrible hawk" has tried to peel back the skin. Will it grow back and will she ever re-feather? I am spraying with aqueous disenfectant spray but wonder whether to start using an emolient cream? She also seems to have a problem with one eye which isn't quite right so she turns to use the other eye. At first it was closed but she does open it now and it doesn't look damaged but is on the same side as the worst of the injuries. I'm giving her some light today, is this better or should she stay in the dark till fully recovered?

 

I have a large aviary with a pair of peacocks so perhaps when she's a bit better, we could put nest boxes in there and move her and catch her mate as well. Whilst it's a very large aviary, it seems so cruel to keep them in captivity.

 

Now I just need to get other half to break off renovation of our house to make dove accommodation!

 

Judi

[Guest]

You must give her light or she won't feed.As for your barn conversion,we would have probably moved into ours quicker if my other half hadn't had to break off to build our averies too!

[Roland]

Buy a Pair of Eagle Owls.

[Roland]

http://www.buy-fineart.com/buyfineart.asp?p=2540

 

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=Buying+Eagle+Owls&meta=

[Guest TAMMY_1]

Buy a Pair of Eagle Owls.

 

can you get me a pair ?

 

 

[Roland]

Will ask where the Hunting Faternity get theirs from ... also a mate Steve has a pair,so will enquire.

[Guest]

Excellent Link, Roland, confirms previous story about death of the North York Moors hen;

 

Shows RSPB now stooping to a play on words, in a reply to my email at the time, spokesperson said 'didn't die of gunshot wounds'. Technically correct.  

 

Bird died of starvation. Couldn't fly after being shot ... following a TV Broadcast in which they and BOU claimed, wrongly, go out and shoot these birds, nobody can stop you.  >  >

 

But agree with Tammy, Nature usually finds a way to undo folk meddlin in its business... hope this Site is the first to feature a photo of ol' Bubo taking out one of 'the blessed ones' ....

[jimmy white]

i said this a while ago , when all laughed at me    if there were a pair of eagle owls living in each quarry in the uk ,, there would be less perigines,, these birds [like all owls ] come out of roosting of an evening ,, nest in the same habitat as the eagle owl ,, the eagle owl will take the perigrine whilst roosting ,,,it will not tolerate any other bird of prey near it or in its territory,,,, there is an old arguement as to wether thse birds are natively brittish ,, but on finding out some info [should see on the hawks post],,,,if born here in the wild,, their brittish, even if they are bred from escapees,,,,

p,s they can be purchased  quite easy in the cage and aviary paper

[Roland]

I also agree with the balance of nature taking care of it's self. Likewise when protection helps a onesided opertion to exist.

There are several concerns that suffer from 'Hawks and Raptures'. I have advocated often it is time for them to merge and hire a decent PR Firm and ask when this experiemnet of two years in 1955 has a lot to answer for, and when a sensible review is to be upheld!