Living with Birds "Blink and you'll miss it" by David Tipling Tweetapedia

Sparrowhawks are masters of stealth. They often perch silently, watching and waiting, before unleashing a sudden, low-level dash through hedges, over fences and garden furniture. Their flight is fast, twisty, and precise, catching small birds completely off guard.

Interestingly, sparrowhawks are creatures of habit and often follow regular hunting routes, especially through gardens. Research by the British Trust for Ornithology tracked an individual sparrowhawk and found it favoured a surprisingly small home range of around a 500-metre radius. Most of its activity revolved around a cluster of gardens with bird feeders, which provided a reliable buffet. This neatly illustrates how feeding spots can shape where sparrowhawks live and how they hunt. Such a small territory gives the hawk the advantage of getting to know it intimately, allowing low-level surprise attacks.

If you enjoy watching garden birds but worry about giving the sparrowhawk too much of an advantage, there are a couple of simple ways to tip the balance:

• Place feeders near cover, such as hedges or shrubs, giving smaller birds somewhere to dive for safety.
• Move feeders around regularly. Sparrowhawks develop well-practised attack routes and changing feeder positions makes it harder for them to predict where birds will gather.

The sparrowhawk will still hunt, but these small changes help keep the contest a little more even.

The sudden appearance of a sparrowhawk is a thrilling reminder that a real wildlife drama is unfolding right outside our window. With their explosive speed, pinpoint accuracy, and finely tuned hunting routines, sparrowhawks are among the most exciting predators you’re ever likely to see in a suburban garden - often gone before you realised they were there.