Incredible! Hawk on my lawn!

[FB.]

I've just been sitting at my patio doors eating my dinner when suddenly a hawk has downed a baby blackbird just several yards away from me in the garden!
It was all over pretty quickly for the blackbird - no suffering - but (being an experienced vermin controller/hunter) I was able to remain quiet and still and even managed to get a few pictures of the hawk, although the pics are not great as it's not easy taking close-up pics of wildlife when they arrive in your garden unexpected!

Here's a blurry pic of the hawk, taken less than an hour ago; it's the best pic that I can offer as there is nothing gruesome to see because the dead blackbird is in the long-ish grass and not visible. But the picture emphasizes just how near to the hawk I was sitting.
I also managed to use the digital camera to get some video pics, but they are not suitable for posting in public.

[Hilary B]

Looks like it might be a peregrine! (I have a great fondness for the 'hunters of the air')

[FB.]

The same bird is probably the one which downed a starling onto my driveway a couple of weeks ago. At that time, there was a teriffic fight and lots of screeching and flapping. I left them to get on with it as I didn't want to interfere with nature and spook the hawk. It's quite possible that the starling got away that time.

[FionaH]

Wow what a privelage

[FB.]

Feeling a bit sorry for the adult blackbirds now, but nature is nature.
The pair of blackbirds are sitting on my fence with beakfuls of creepy crawlies, but no baby to feed.
While the hawk was on my lawn with the baby blackbird, the adult pair tried several dive-bombing attacks at the hawk and then pursued the hawk across the field as it carried off it's dinner.

[burnie]

looks like a Musket Sparrow Hawk(that's a male to non falconers)

[rew15]

We had the same thing last summer. Big bang on the patio doors. Looked out and a hawk had got a pidgeon.

[Nicos]

Wow...well...we all need our supper I suppose!!

BUT....how wonderful to watch!

The blackbirds will start again- 'ours' always manage 2 clutches a year.
Lets hope the next lot of babies will survive though!

[Nippy]

My hubby runs around like a mad thing chasing the Sparrow Hawk from our garden because it eats his babies (not his you understand, his surrogate babies!)

[bobleponge]

Nature is just fantastic, there arent that many people who will actually have seen what you saw FB. It truly is a privilage.

[Two_Sheds]

We had a Sparrowhawk land outside our front window a few weeks ago, after Mr Blackbird, who kept his life by mere inches.

[KayJay]

collared dove for lunch!

We had a bird of prey possibly sparrow hawk though not sure, plucking collared dove on our lawn for several mins before flying with it to finish lunch. My husband wouldn't believe me till he saw the evidence.

[Pumpkin Becki]

MIL has had a Sparrow Hawk taking collared doves and her neighbours white doves just recently - I guess they've all got hungry babies to feed.

[Apple Betty]

I watched a kestrel robbing a blackbird's nest the other day. I always thought they just hovered and dived on their prey but it was definitely a kestrel. The nest was inside a hawthorn hedge and the parents and other small birds were mobbing it which is what attracted me to it. The kestrel sat on the fence for a while then hopped into the hedge, a short while later came out with a little black bundle in its talons and was noisly chased by the blackbirds.

[Snadger]

Must get some new specs!!!!! I thought you had the Incredible HULK on your lawn!