Alta, this is the only link I know about. I'm glad to know you're watching her. When she left the nest for awhile, I noticed that the nest is covered with feathers, much like the goshawk nest was a few weeks ago while Mum Goss was incubating. I suppose Mom Sparrowhawk also chooses this idle time to do something productive: to molt! I notice that my Cooper's hawk neighbors, who are also incubating, have lots of feathers in their nest. Now I'm wondering if this is another accipiter trait, or just something that many raptor moms do. I don't recall seeing any bald eagles feathering their nest.
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Feathered Nest 05-27-14.j
Female on Four Eggs 05-27
IMG_3514.JPG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte) We had a power outage all day, so I was forced to entertain myself with a book. I chose The Sparrowhawk by Ian Newton. I'll be quoting from this book on this thread today and in the future, so here's a picture of the cover.
"The Sparrowhawk belongs to one of the largest groups of raptors, forming the genus Accipiter, which contains about 50 species... Over most of Europe it breeds alongside its larger relative the Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis). Together, the two species form a graded size series, from male and female Sparrowhawk to male and female Goshawk.
"Compared to most birds of prey, the Sparrowhawk is small, but it shows a remarkable divergence between the sexes. The larger female measures about 14 inches from head to tail and weighs around 10 ounces while the smaller male measures about 12 inches and weighs around 5 ounces.
"The Goshawk is also the main natural predator of the Sparrowhawk, taking adult birds, together with nestlings and fledglings which have recently left the nest. It was exterminated in Britain during the 19th century but has reestablished itself in some regions, as a result of escapes of falconry birds imported from the continent.
"Like many other birds, Sparrowhawks replace their plumage once each year. Their moult takes about four months and overlaps extensively with breeding. Most females begin in May, around the time of egg laying, and most males begin in June, around the time of hatch. Both sexes continue into September or October, well beyond the date in August when their young become independent. However, many individuals stop moulting for a period in mid June to mid August, while they are feeding large young."
Sounds like good reading, Alta! Sparrowhawk sounds very similar to the American sharp-shinned hawk, although the sharpie is even smaller. Except for the eye color (sharpies' eyes are red; sparrowhawks' are yellow), it would be very hard to tell them apart. And we thought it was hard to tell sharpies from Cooper's hawks!
sparrowhawk 5 eggs.png - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte) I see five eggs today; I'm not sure when the fifth one appeared. I heard some interesting soft vocalizations this morning. Dad was visiting the nest. sparrowhawk glimpse of dad.png - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)
I always thought the Sparrowhawk and the Goshawk looked exactly the same. I didn't realize the big size difference in the two and wondered how people could tell them apart. Now, R4 throws in the Sharp-shinned hawk. I'm learning a lot from you two.
Here are a few more quotes from The Sparrowhawk by Ian Newton.
Despite its abundance, the Sparrowhawk is seldom seen. It spends most of its time in cover, and when in the open it flies fast and low, unnoticed by the human eye.
…whereas the Kestrel has the long pointed wings of a falcon, the Sparrowhawk has the short broad wings of an accipiter.
Sparrowhawks distribute themselves in individual territories or ‘home ranges’, each of which contains a nesting place and hunting areas. In some districts such nesting places can be as close as 550 yards to one another, but in other districts they can be more than 2 miles apart.
Two factors can set a limit on breeding densities: in sparsely wooded terrain, as in most of Britain, breeding numbers are limited by shortage of nesting places (woods), whereas in well wooded terrain, where nesting places are superabundant, numbers are limited instead by food supply.
Feeding on a wide range of bird species, the hawks are buffered against a temporary shortage of any one species, so can maintain their numbers from year to year. In contrast, Kestrels in most districts have restricted diets, based on voles.
In the commonest method of hunting, called ‘short-stay perch-hunting’, the hawk makes a series of short flights through woodland or from one patch of cover to the next, pausing for a few minutes to scan the surroundings, and then passing on to the next perch to search again.
From small prey the hawk eats all parts of the carcass – bones, guts and all – and leaves only the feathers. But from large birds it often leaves bill, legs or other parts which are difficult to break up and swallow.
Despite this heavy predation, Sparrowhawks are not known to have any long-term effect on the breeding numbers of their prey species. The main effect of Sparrowhawks on their prey is to alter the seasonal pattern of mortality and reduce the numbers of prey dying from other causes.
Sparrowhawks breed in summer, when their food is most readily available. At this season the songbird prey are themselves breeding, so there are many vulnerable fledglings for Sparrowhawks to eat… the period of peak food demand, when the majority of hawks have young, coincides with the period of peak fledgling supply, mid-June to mid-July.
Mom is soooo sleepy. Here's she's trying to sleep with one eye open... and the other eye. sparrowhawk left eye open.png - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte) sparrowhawk right eye open.png - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)
Thanks for sounding the alert, Alta! I have watched this nest every day, and then today I was too busy. Hopefully we'll see a tiny hatchling in the morning.
Although I haven't watched for new hatches the last few days, when I checked this morning there were three baby sparrowhawks in the nest. These hatchlings are probably 3-4 days old already. If Mama Sparrowhawk is like other accipiters, she started incubating these as soon as there were three eggs, so they probably hatched pretty close together. The fourth eggs should hatch soon. Egg #5 was a late arrival, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens to it.
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Mom and 3 Chicks 06-16-14
The male sparrowhawk paid his brood a quick visit in the absence of the female. He brought nothing and stayed only a few moments, looking all around the whole time. There are four hatchlings now, perhaps five. The chicks are so white they look like a mass of fluff with an occasional up-bobbling head or two.
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Dad and Hatchlings 06-18-
sparrowhawk 6-22.png - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte) These four are well fed. At first they weren't interested in eating, but then they got themselves organized. I like seeing the little one in the front row.
sparrowhawk 6-23.png - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte) I find this funny. Is she trying to brood them? Or just making herself comfortable in the middle of the nest surrounded by her chicks?
sparrowhawk 6-26.png - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte) It looks like there is perhaps condensation or some kind of film on the cam housing, and the white chicks appear to have a halo or aura.
Sat May 31, 2014 8:35 am (Last edited: Sat May 31, 2014 8:36 am)
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I notice that my Cooper's hawk neighbors, who are also incubating, have lots of feathers in their nest. Now I'm wondering if this is another accipiter trait, or just something that many raptor moms do. I don't recall seeing any bald eagles feathering their nest.
