I just saw a sparrowhawk take a collared dove in my garden!

[Dilbertian]

Then it took the dove to a sheltered space among the shrubs and is now eating it.

7 magpies and 2 huge crows gathered in the trees and shrubs above. I thought they would mob the hawk, but they just perched there, watching and waiting - and shrieking. None dared to go up against the little sparrowhawk.

Amazing!

This happened once during a staff meeting at work. The sparrowhawk smashed the poor pigeon into the window and we all shit ourselves. I moved over to the window and opened it to look down. The sparrowhawk was calmly ripping the pigeon to shreds and did not give one single crap that I was three feet away watching it. It gave me a very stern look!

we have one about here, we see it rarely. I know it's about as all the sparrows vanished and you sometime just get something absolutely hurtling by the window...too fast to even see properly

dh and the dog rescued one once....way up the road and he spotted it under a bush, think it had a broken wing, but the RSPCA never had the courtesy to let us know even after telling him they would be sure to keep in touch.

also yesterday I walked by the massive church in town and there was a whole wing and a stripped bare ribcage at the foot of the tower, there is a pair of something falcon ish (possibly peregrines) that live right at the top. I have often seen dismembered pigeon feet there.

That's exactly what happened here, AnduinsGirl! But none of my family believed me. They thought it was an opportunistic sparrowhawk taking advantage of a stupid window-bashing dove.

I’m jealous, I’d love to see that. Particularly a ring collared dove, there is a nest in the tree outside my bedroom window atm and the noise drives me mad in the morning.

I’m pretty sure I just saw a cockatiel fly down the road! I live in a rural village, so I wonder if someone’s pet has escaped.

This happened a few weeks ago in our garden. We all stood at the door taking photos whilst watching it eat the poor pigeon. It then flew off struggling to carry the carcass with it, but leaving a mess of feathers behind.
As you say, amazing!

It's amazing isn't it? I came home from work one day and found one in the garden dismembering a crow. We were able to stand at the door and take photos and it did not care. It eventually flew away with the carcass, leaving behind lots of feathers!

Yonks ago I was walking down a lane with a gate at the end of it, a sparrow hawk zoomed past me, about a metre off the ground and zoomed over the gate and then went back to a metre above the ground.
I live opposite a churchyard now and many times while walking through I've seen pigeons in various mangled states and actually saw a sparrow hawk catch a pigeon mid flight. Awesome birds.

Brilliant photo OP, thanks. Love the hawk's expression, so proud and defensive but with an underlying warning...

SPARROWHAWKS DON'T SHARE FOOD

They’re incredible hunters. We had one in the garden on Saturday take a blackbird. I was sat in the conservatory when something swooped past the window, it swerved around the bird feeder and zoomed into the hedge. I didn’t know what it was at first and the noise . It flew out on to the grass and was on top of the poor blackbird. I went to open the door but as I did, the sparrow hawk flew off, clutching its prey.
I’ve seen two flying around since but not come into the garden.

It's an impressive, gruesome thing to witness isn't it?!

I was walking to school pick up years ago with my 3 yr old and this happened right in front of us, the pigeon was on a garage roof and next thing it was on the ground being torn apart by the sparrowhawk, which swooped out of nowhere! We just stood there, frozen and captivated!

We are lucky here to see sparrowhawks and red kites regularly. In the summer I run home from work from the city centre along the canal and I see heron and kingfishers.

I hate birds of prey. I don’t want to see anything killing another animal. Very surprised that anyone does.

I understand, Hoverry, but they are magnificent birds, only kill what they need and it’s nature, isn’t it.

I recommend H Is For Hawk if anyone would like to read about a bond with a bird of prey. Helped the author through the grief of losing her father, beautifully written.Although a falconer I know says they never really bond with you. You can be useful to them but that’s all.
There was a follow up BBC programme a while back, as she embarked on her journey with a new hawk.

It's not that people 'want' to see it. It's just that it's awe-inspiring when you do. Not nice, sure, but incredible that it could happen so close to humans - and sort of nice that we mean so little that the birds of prey just carry on as if we're not there.

This happened in our garden it was horrifying and amazing. The speed with which it swooped down on the pigeon and it carried on plucking the feathers even with my whole family goggling at it through the window. After a while it got embarrassed and took the bird off to a quiet part of the garden, plucked some more then carried it off - to where? I went out to look in case it had left the head behind but couldn't see it.

It was big, fat, pigeon. Can't imagine that a scrawny crow or blackbird would be worth it.

It's nature, Hoverry. A fact of life. Animals hunt and kill other animals. This hawk was not out to cause suffering, it did not kill for entertainment, nothing of the dead dove was wasted. What the hawk did not eat, other animals will eat. In a few days even the feathers will be gone, taken by other birds to line their nests so that there next generation of birds can safely grow. This is not just an animal's death. This is part of life.

Awesome!!!!!

How strange, one landed on the pergola in our garden earlier today and sat and looked around for a good couple of minutes before flying off.

We only moved in on Friday so I’m very excited about potential bird of prey spotting!

My dad once had to rescue a sparrowhawk that got into their shed and was trying to get out via the window.

They have so many birds in the garden....and obviously this attracts the sparrowhawks too.

I have seen one shoot past me once out in our garden and rotate like an X wing fighter to fly between the houses whilst going some lace, clearly in hot pursuit of lunch. Amazing to see

Impressive creatures. Their eyes change colour as they get older #uselessfact

Pace. Not lace 🤪

Don’t be silly, @Hovverry — do you only approve of herbivorous animals?

We saw two pheasants mating on our approved walk earlier. Teen dd a little grossed out..haha

Once in Central London a pigeon flew into a big pane of glass and just laid on the ground. I was considering calling the RSPCA or similar (😃) when a seagull descended from the roof opposite and flew away with it. That was also quite amazing.
But these two birds are so similar in size, good job.

Had one in our garden once while I was sitting at the table. There was a blue across the air and then the blackbird on the fence literally disappeared. I jumped up and peered over and the sparrowhawk was disembowelling it on the driveway. It can’t have known what hit it.

I had a peregrine falcon perching on a tree on the embankment behind my small garden. I stood goggling at it for as long as it sat there, wishing I had a camera. These days it's a lot easier with smartphones to take quick pictures, so naturally I don't see that sort of thing any more... There are buzzards in our area, plus kestrels, and I very very occasionally see the peregrines but always high in the sky. They are magnificent and fill their appointed niche without upsetting the balance Hovverry

Once when our cat was still small, not quite fully grown, we were all out in the garden when a bird swooped very low over her, only swooping upwards at the last second as it changed its mind for some reason. Could have been very nasty, very nasty indeed