Female Sparrowhawk? (1 Viewer)

N

NoddingBirder

Member

• Dec 11, 2018

• #1

Hi everyone,

Nothing too exciting, but I'd like to confirm this bird is what I think it is. I've seen a male Sparrowhawk in the garden and so have assumed this is a female, any thoughts?

Made a dive past the feeders which were amass with tits and finches, missed and sat for a while on the fence just outside of my window

Seen in Northamptonshire UK earlier this week.

Many thanks!

Mark.

 

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KenM

Well-known member

• Dec 11, 2018

• #2

Male Sprawks often sit by the feeders after a failed attempt...never seen a female do the same though.

Cheers

 

N

NoddingBirder

Member

• Dec 11, 2018

• #3

So you believe it is a female?

If so, she had a gang of long tailed tits taunting her from 3 feet away whilst she sat and sulked

Thanks for the input,

Mark.

 

G

Gordon

Registered User

• Dec 11, 2018

• #4

KenM said:

Male Sprawks often sit by the feeders after a failed attempt...never seen a female do the same though.

Cheers

Click to expand...

How do you tell if it's a female?

thanks
Gordon

 

ChrisKten

It's true, I quite like Pigeons

• Dec 11, 2018

• #5

It's a juvenile (1cy) - from talon size, possibly a male

 

N

NoddingBirder

Member

• Dec 11, 2018

• #6

Hi Chris,

thanks for the extra info - what is 1cy?

Thanks,

M

 

S

Sangahyando

Well-known member

• Dec 11, 2018

• #7

First calender year. Meaning it hatched this spring.

 

R

Rotherbirder

Well-known member

• Dec 11, 2018

• #8

ChrisKten said:

It's a juvenile (1cy) - from talon size, possibly a male

Click to expand...

Agree with Chris on all counts. 1cy is short for first calendar year, which means it hatched this year. From 01/01/2019, it will be in it's 2cy.

RB

 

Last edited: Dec 12, 2018

Andy Adcock

Worst person on Birdforum

• Dec 11, 2018

• #9

ChrisKten said:

It's a juvenile (1cy) - from talon size, possibly a male

Click to expand...

My opinion too, immature male, rufous edges to feathers indicate non adult and warm tone to face perhaps point to a young male?

 

N

NoddingBirder

Member

• Dec 11, 2018

• #10

thanks for the clarification all

 

Andy Adcock

Worst person on Birdforum

• Dec 11, 2018

• #11

Rotherbirder said:

Agree with Chris on all counts. 1cy is short for first calendar year, which means it hatched this year. From 01/01/2019, it will be a 2cy.

RB

Click to expand...

Seems an odd way to do it doesn't it, if the plumage remains the same in to January, it's a 2cy but looks exactly the same as a 1cy?

 

ChrisKten

It's true, I quite like Pigeons

• Dec 11, 2018

• #12

Sorry, Mark, I was rushing - I forgot to praise your pic

BTW, you may be fortunate enough to have regular visits from both the juvenile and the adult you mentioned, territories do overlap. Please remember that only about 1 in 3 male Sparrowhawks survive their first Winter, so try not to disturb it, as it could easily starve. I was fortunate to have the same male visiting my garden since it was a juvenile, it stayed for 7 years.

Oh, and IME, a male Sparrowhawk's favourite food isn't Sparrows... it's Mice

Andy, and anyone else interested in the ID of these birds:

this might help with ageing and sexing... I've pasted the link to this a few times over the years. It's meant for Ringers, but is worth studying.

 

N

NoddingBirder

Member

• Dec 11, 2018

• #13

Thanks for the link - very handy!!!!

The photo was actually taken through my garden office window - my aim is to catalogue (with a photo) all of the birds that visit the garden - from within the warmth and comfort of there so no chance/need to disturb.

The mature male that visits is very handsome - quite different to the juvenile.

There are plenty of mice and the like in the garden too, and surrounded by farmland so lot's of scope for fauna!

 

S

Sangahyando

Well-known member

• Dec 11, 2018

• #14

ChrisKten said:

Oh, and IME, a male Sparrowhawk's favourite food isn't Sparrows... it's Mice

Click to expand...

Yeah, but I think that's probably a rare case, and owing to local circmstances (e.g. lack of kestrels or other mice specialists).

 

P

P.Sunesen

Well-known member

• Dec 12, 2018

• #15

ChrisKten said:

Sorry, Mark, I was rushing - I forgot to praise your pic

BTW, you may be fortunate enough to have regular visits from both the juvenile and the adult you mentioned, territories do overlap. Please remember that only about 1 in 3 male Sparrowhawks survive their first Winter, so try not to disturb it, as it could easily starve. I was fortunate to have the same male visiting my garden since it was a juvenile, it stayed for 7 years.

Oh, and IME, a male Sparrowhawk's favourite food isn't Sparrows... it's Mice

Andy, and anyone else interested in the ID of these birds:

this might help with ageing and sexing... I've pasted the link to this a few times over the years. It's meant for Ringers, but is worth studying.

Click to expand...

Hi, thanks for the link.
In a way this answers my question to you in the other recent thread regarding A.nisus, but still the limitations of these photos are obvious, particularly when it comes to sizes of nape patches, which in my experience is such an individually variable feature, both regarding sex and age.
Furthermore, the way the feathers are held by the live bird, as explained in the other thread, is so crucial as to how "large" we perceive this patch.
The more the feathers are lifted, the greater the patch, and the more sleek the bird is, the smaller the patch appears.
In other words, this - and perhaps other aspects of this 'ringers guide" - will not 'hold up in court', again IMHO.

 

ChrisKten

It's true, I quite like Pigeons

• Dec 12, 2018

• #16

I've replied in the other thread, Peter