Sparrowhawk on my balcony (1 Viewer)

[Bianca070]

I know they're many treads here about sparrowhawks visiting bird feeders. But in most cases this is in gardens, and in this case it is on a balcony on the fourth floor.

On this balcony I'll placed different bird feeders with protective cages around it.
I live in front of a small park with lots of bushes and trees. On my balcony I placed lots of native plants (I live in the Netherlands) and even a small pear tree. Plenty of cover for the birds you might say.
This time of year I feed the birds (almost only Blue and Great Tits) live mealworms. Also we placed a bird bath with protecting cage and even a small pond.
So you might imagine how busy it is on our balcony. Lots of juveniles and also adults that feeding there chicks with live mealworms.

But all that comotions had attracted the attention of a female sparrowhawk.
This not the first time tough, last year it was a male that payed visits on my balcony for weeks, almost on a daily basis. Never saw him successfully catch a bird though ,but I'm sure he has been successful sometimes.
But this female is pretty successful. Not that much on the balcony itself, but what's she does is suddenly make an appearance and scared the birds away from the balcony. Then she chased an individual into the trees. It's not that she's always successful, but she's a pretty good hunter and I witness some successful kills.

Of course she's a beautiful bird and she have to feed too.
But my main concern is that I make it to easy for her to catch her prey.
This is because although I tried to make it as safe as possible, the small birds still have to make a flight over open space to reach cover from the bushes and trees around the balcony.
What I already did is making an open space trough the fence of the balcony (if that make sense) to reach safety faster. Also they have of course the protection of the cages so that the Sparrowhawk can't catch them directly from the bird table itself. And then there are the plants on the balcony where they're take shelter.
There's nothing more I could do, I think.

My question to you is if I'll do good to keep continue feeding the birds.
Also I wish that I just can accept this part of nature, but I've so much difficulty to . It almost felt that it is my fault because I give the Sparrowhawk an easy meal. Although I admire the Sparrowhawk much and I know she has to feed herself. I just don't want to make it to easy for her.
I hope I can get some tips what I'll should do.
Thanks in advance

Bianca

 

[PYRTLE]

They treat it as a drive thru restaurant where meals are made available. Some of the juveniles will make it to become breeding adults.

 

[Kits]

It seems as though you are doing all you can to protect the smaller birds. We have visits from sparrow hawks who are usually not that successful in catching the smaller birds, but do get the wood pigeons with ease. We still feed the birds and have learned to accept it's part of the cycle of life.

 

[Bianca070]

We also have wood pigeons on our balcony, but so far our Sparrowhawk does not have any interest in them whatsoever.
I suspect she's a young female, so maybe she will turn at some point to the larger size birds. Still harsh though, but I think you're right to just accept that's part of the circle of life.

 

[Zipper]

Pyrtle and Kits are spot on. Keep feeding your smaller birds and do what you can reasonably do to "protect" them. You love birds and that food for the smaller birds will increase their fledge rate and will more than make up for the losses to a hawk. Also, with so many birds coming to your feeders, there is ample warning yells from all the smaller birds that "danger" is near. But realize that this is what birds do...they find food to bring to their young...and it is difficult for humans to accept that this is what they have been doing for a long...long time. Embrace the Sparrowhawk (Sharp-Shinned Hawk(or Sharpie) over here) as that is one great bird to have visit your feeders. Cheers.

 

[Bianca070]

Thanks for your reply.

You're absolutely right of course. It's indeed the acceptance that this is nature and that the hawk needs to eat too.
I was just scared that I make it too easy for the Sparrowhawk to catch their prey. But fortunately that is not the case. The last couple of weeks things are settled down, because the hawk visits are decreased. Although she is still out there, I sometimes heard the alarm calls which I'm very familiar with.
What's really fascinated me is the interaction between predator and prey. The visits from the small birds are different now. They come to feed like before, but they are not "hanging" around anymore. They take some food and almost instantly flew off to the nearest tree. Also they come in flocks, not individually like they did sometimes before.
The hawk on the other hand is now more hunting from the bushes instead of the trees. It's almost like some sort of game, who is outsmarting the other.

Tough, there are less Great and Blue Tits than previous years at my balcony this time of year. In fact, way less. If that's because the Sparrowhawk catch a lot of them or they are way more cautious, I don't know. Personally I think is a combination of the two.
Either way, I'm slowly learning to accept that this is the just the way it goes.

I added a picture of "our" Sparrowhawk. Such a beautiful bird.

Bianca

 

[Zipper]

Great picture, Bianca. The eyebrows are a nice touch! Yes...they all get smart to each others "games" and adapt. Your Sparrowhawk is also making the local smaller birds a stronger grouping by catching the ones that are less wary or slower...leaving the best ones to pass their genes onto future generations. Your Sparrowhawk, as an apex predator, is also helping the local ecosystem there in ways we are not aware. The experience of the US National Park Service reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone National Park gives an idea of the "trickledown" impact an apex predator can have on increasing life and diversity: Wolf Reintroduction Changes Ecosystem in Yellowstone

Cheers.

 

[Bianca070]

Thanks Zipper for the information.
Off course it all make sense what you're saying about the ecosystem. I also read it myself about how predators are very important for the ecosystem. And even, in this particularly case, they're doing the small birds a favor. Because, like you said, the best genes are passed one.
Still, I'm feeding the birds for 4 years now and because of that I have some sort of connection with these birds. It's harsh to see them so scared and preyed on.
But like I said before, I slowly learn to accept it. Although, it will be always with mixed feelings I guess.

Thanks for the article about the Wolf in Yellowstone! I'm definitely gonna read it.
Here in the Netherlands we've the wolf back for a couple of years now. There's a lot of discussion about it, but that's a totally different case than in Yellowstone off course. Also totally offtopic to talk about that here, lol.

Cheers,

Bianca

 

[dantheman]

Tough, there are less Great and Blue Tits than previous years at my balcony this time of year. In fact, way less. If that's because the Sparrowhawk catch a lot of them or they are way more cautious, I don't know. Personally I think is a combination of the two.
Either way, I'm slowly learning to accept that this is the just the way it goes.

There was a study done of someone's garden Blue Tits once with ringing and they discovered that rather than the dozen or so birds passing through in a day that they might have thought it was, it was c300 or so (iirc, or maybe that was the whole season), so it is unlikely that the Sparrowhawk will have actively depleted your local stock per se.

Also, even if you are providing an easy meal, the Sparrowhawk still has to eat, so you are perhaps reducing pressure on the small birds somewhere else!

Anyway, keep up the good work. A photo of your balcony set up/views might be fun.

 

[Patudo]

...the interaction between predator and prey. The visits from the small birds are different now. They come to feed like before, but they are not "hanging" around anymore. They take some food and almost instantly flew off to the nearest tree. Also they come in flocks, not individually like they did sometimes before.

Songbirds have evolved alongside predators over many thousands of years, and have their natural defensive mechanisms in response to threats like raptors: flocking together and feeding quickly and warily is one. You're lucky to be able to see things like this happen pretty much before your eyes, not all of us can.

Nature is pretty harsh sometimes. But if they thought your bird feeder was too dangerous/not worth the risk, they would probably not visit.

 

[Bianca070]

Thanks!
Interest study dantheman, thank you.

Patudo, yes I know I can consider myself lucky to watch these beautiful raptor in action. However, like I said before, it's still kind of harsh to see "you're" birds so scared. But you're right, they're evolved alongside eachother and I just to get used to fact that this is what it is.
It's just a bunch of mixed feelings when I see the Sparrowhawk in action.

I added some pictures of my balcony, the view and the feeding stations.
The spikes on top of the fence are there because my neighbours complained about the wood pigeons perching there and they poo a lot. So now they can't perched anymore on top of the fence. The spikes are not sharp, they still can land on it.
The cages around the feeding stations are there because I don't want to have arguments with my neighbours because of all the pigeons that will come to my balcony to feed. I live in a big flat with 13 floors, so a lot of neighbours.

The tree behind the feeding cage that are hanging on the wall, is the tree that the Sparrowhawk often used as a lookout.


Cheers,

Bianca