Bounty Hunters Brian Pike reports on three of the Dales’ commonest birds of prey irds like robins, blackbirds and blue tits have UK populations numbered in millions, but even our most successful bird of prey, the common buzzard, can only muster a population of some 70,000 breeding pairs. And when it comes to rarities like the goshawk or the merlin we’re talking in terms of hundreds of pairs rather than thousands. Here in North Yorkshire the three birds of prey you’re most likely to see on the wing by day are the common buzzard, the kestrel and the sparrowhawk. And winter’s as good a time as any, if not better, to spot them. Now that the days are shorter, these sharp-eyed hunters have to concentrate their efforts at finding food into a far smaller window of opportunity than during the bright and balmy summer months.
Juvenile female kestrel alighting on farm gate 22 | WINTER 2022 | Dales Life
H E D G E R OW A S S A S S I N The sparrowhawk Although it’s the least common of the three species, the sparrowhawk is the bird of prey you’re most likely to see in your back garden. And that’s because our familiar garden birds – including sparrows, tits, finches, robins, blackbirds and pigeons – all represent potential meals for it. If times are hard the sparrowhawk will also feed on small mammals and invertebrates, but it’s other birds that it is supremely well adapted to catching. The sparrowhawk’s favourite hunting strategy is to ambush its prey by dashing out from under cover and taking the unfortunate victim by surprise. It is a supremely fast and agile bird, capable of flying through narrow gaps between branches and changing direction in a split second.
