Francis Hickenbottom's Nature Notes: Latest.

Francis Hickenbottom’s Nature Notes.

30th January 2012

On one of my regular strolls around the grounds of Ackworth School, I was looking at the berries on some ivy which grows over a low wall when a sparrowhawk suddenly shot over the wall right in front of my face.

The sparrowhawk continued through the car-park in which I was standing, flying less than a metre above the ground, and turned a corner to fly towards the cricket pitch. As it disappeared around the corner, I heard the characteristic alarm calls of long-tailed tits.

Sparrowhawks have a high-speed approach to hunting and it isn’t surprising that they seem to have a lot of accidents. I have come across a number of sparrowhawks that have died in collisions of one sort or another.

A day or two later, I was at the RSPB reserve The Old Moor Wetland, where a member of staff told me about a sparrowhawk that had been killed when it collided with a car on the nearby busy main road. I was given the remains of the bird, which did not look badly damaged by the collision, and I spent a little time drawing the legs and claws.

The legs of sparrowhawks, which are designed for pulling small birds from shrubbery when they try to escape, are striking because of their length, in proportion to the size of the bird. The legs of the casualty were initially a bright yellow colour but this faded quite quickly. I have looked at the claws of sparrowhawks before but I hadn’t appreciated how sharp they are. The ones on this individual were long, strongly curved and had very sharp tips. It was quite difficult to fully open the feet and it was tricky to remove a finger once it was pushed between the claws.

It is sad to see a bird like this die before its time but the remains of this one will not go to waste. The skull feels as though it has not been broken, so I will preserve it. I will also preserve a wing for use in talks to groups. In addition some of the feathers will be added to my collection.