Eagle attacking Pigeon?

Pops_20 · 06-04-2021 5:37pm #1

Hi all, it's my first time posting on this sub forum. I just witnessed something in my garden that I've never seen before... what looks like an eagle landed in the garden with a pigeon in its claws, and just sat there on top of the pigeon.

I went outside and scared off the eagle and both flew away, pigeon seemed OK.

I've never seen this bird, which I am assuming to be some type of eagle. Is this normal eagle behaviour?

I managed to get a short video which I've posted here.

https://youtu.be/DQZaQrHczSg

wildwillow · 06-04-2021 5:44pm

Looks like a sparrow hawk and they often kill pigeons. I often find pigeon feathers in my garden. I stopped using a bird feeding station as the sparrow hawk was using it as a takeaway food supply.

iora_rua · 06-04-2021 5:44pm

Possibly a female sparrowhawk?

Pops_20 · 06-04-2021 5:45pm

wildwillow wrote: »

Looks like a sparrow hawk and they often kill pigeons. I often find pigeon feathers in my garden. I stopped using a bird feeding station as the sparrow hawk was using it as a takeaway food supply.

That's interesting, because I found a pile of feathers in the back garden this morning and just assumed it was a cat that killed a bird. Forgot about it until now, perhaps it was the hawk.

TedR · 06-04-2021 10:19pm

Thats a female Sparrowhawk.

Honestly, rushing out to 'save' the prey species, is not the right reaction. The hawk has worked hard and expended lots of energy to make a successful hunt, and you have stopped her reaping the dividends of that. Especially in this cold weather, the sparrowhawk having a solid meal before nightfall may literally make the difference between survival and not. She will also have her own young to feed very shortly.

Would you rush out to save/interfere should you see a blackbird with a worm, or a songthrush with a snail?

Leave nature to itself, I appreciate it can look graphic but it is completely....natural

Stihl waters · 06-04-2021 10:23pm

How would you feel if I came into your kitchen and kept you from eating your dinner, leave the birds alone and let nature do its thing, if people stopped interfering in nature we would be a lot better off

TedR · 06-04-2021 10:25pm

Just to add, I dont mean to be giving out... I am sure that spar will do fine in the long run. Its an amazing sight to see in the back garden. If you've seen scattered feathers in your garden previously, you are probably on her regular beat, you are lucky!
Hopefully you will see her again.

Eoinbmw · 06-04-2021 10:29pm

I recently witnessed a crows dismantle a poor pigeon in my workplace a bit crazy to see but interesting all the same!

YoshiReturns · 06-04-2021 10:48pm

You should send this video into RTE. Would equal their wildlife coverage for 2021.

It is sad that most people have no knowledge about Irish wildlife. It's sad and a sad reflection of the priorities of the state, Irish education and RTE.

Saw some seagulls mobbing a sparrowhawk on Easter morning in the sunshine. First time to actually see one. Plus we have buzzards wheeling around regularly now. Wonderful.

Pops_20 · 07-04-2021 12:37am

TedR wrote: »

Thats a female Sparrowhawk.

Honestly, rushing out to 'save' the prey species, is not the right reaction. The hawk has worked hard and expended lots of energy to make a successful hunt, and you have stopped her reaping the dividends of that. Especially in this cold weather, the sparrowhawk having a solid meal before nightfall may literally make the difference between survival and not. She will also have her own young to feed very shortly.

Would you rush out to save/interfere should you see a blackbird with a worm, or a songthrush with a snail?

Leave nature to itself, I appreciate it can look graphic but it is completely....natural

I understand what you're saying, I didn't even think about it to be honest, just felt like the right thing to do. I'll know better next time.

YoshiReturns wrote: »

You should send this video into RTE. Would equal their wildlife coverage for 2021.

It is sad that most people have no knowledge about Irish wildlife. It's sad and a sad reflection of the priorities of the state, Irish education and RTE.

Saw some seagulls mobbing a sparrowhawk on Easter morning in the sunshine. First time to actually see one. Plus we have buzzards wheeling around regularly now. Wonderful.

I'm all for learning more about Irish wildlife, but living in the city, it's not something I have ever seen before. I take note of wildlife in the city and can name all the regular birds that I see, but honestly I have never seen a sparrow hawk in my life. That's city living I guess

YoshiReturns · 07-04-2021 9:29am

No worries. Take your time.

Grew up in the country in the 70/80s. Saw no bird of prey, except a pair of Barn Owls once. Just read about these birds in books.

Saw a female Peregrine Falcon in the city centre and also not far from a dart station. Buzzards are actually becoming a common sight now. There were wiped out in Ireland and have just come back recently.

I think there are lots of opportunities round and in Dublin to see all kinds of wildlife. You have the coast and mountains, sea, rivers and also the Phoenix park ...

Eoinbmw · 07-04-2021 10:32am

Ive spotted i believe to be a kestrel hovering out side Limerick City on a few occasions ! Beautiful creatures!

whippet · 07-04-2021 10:38am

I’ve been living on the Louth coast for the last few years and I am starting to notice quite a few birds of prey - I am kinda clueless with what I am looking at - so have downloaded a BirdID app - from Cornell I think and it is quite useful.

I know there are some barn owls nearby and they are a fascinating sight at duck when they are hovering high over the fields

mick087 · 07-04-2021 10:49am

I would of done the same as yourself.
I to have never heard of a sparrow Hawk.I dint know birds would eat other birds.

Reading this would now stop me from interfering if i was to see this happening.
City folk do have much to learn.

olestoepoke · 07-04-2021 10:51am

Mother Nature is cruel but let her be.

Benicetomonty · 07-04-2021 11:03am

Saw this in my back garden about 10 days ago. Puff of feathers and looked up to see a v similar scene as was shown in OP's video. I went out to get a bit closer but it flew away, carryring the pigeon with it. I thought it was a kestral myself, but could have been the sparrow hawk.

Happened in a flash but some sight all the same. Im in Dublin 11 so it can be an urban occurrence too!

wildwillow · 07-04-2021 11:04am

Feeding garden birds has become very common, driven by the food manufacturers.

People need to be aware of hygiene as in washing the containers regularly as chaffinches can spread disease from the feeders.

Be aware that any food outside will attract rats. I've seen one curl itself around a mesh feeder and eat from it.

Sometimes nature requires a helping hand but often the result is an imbalance.

I have planted lots of flowering and fruiting shrubs as field hedges, protected from animals by a double fence.

This is a better solution for feeding birds but not everyone has the space or ground.

I am very disappointed in the miles of laurel hedging used as field boundaries in recent times. Mixed native hedges offer better habitats for nature.

magicbastarder · 07-04-2021 11:07am

barn owls are a great sight to see, they're quite rare.
they've suffered badly from the use of rodenticide.

07-04-2021 11:08am

I'm in Dublin 7, near the Phoenix Park and this happened in my garden a few weeks ago.
I went out and interfered with nature, and I'll do the same if it happens again.
I have a tiny back garden, and a dog, I don't want to deal with half eaten pigeons all over the place, as well as keeping the dog away!

Plenty of pigeons, the sparrowhawk will get another one.

TitianGerm · 07-04-2021 11:15am

YoshiReturns wrote: »

No worries. Take your time.

Grew up in the country in the 70/80s. Saw no bird of prey, except a pair of Barn Owls once. Just read about these birds in books.

Saw a female Peregrine Falcon in the city centre and also not far from a dart station. Buzzards are actually becoming a common sight now. There were wiped out in Ireland and have just come back recently.

I think there are lots of opportunities round and in Dublin to see all kinds of wildlife. You have the coast and mountains, sea, rivers and also the Phoenix park ...

We have two Buzzards in the field beside ours. One grabbed a pidgeon from the trees out back recently but it got free.

raspberrypi67 · 07-04-2021 11:25am

wildwillow wrote: »

Looks like a sparrow hawk and they often kill pigeons. I often find pigeon feathers in my garden. I stopped using a bird feeding station as the sparrow hawk was using it as a takeaway food supply.

Yes, looks like a sparrowhawk ok. I had one in my garden in celbridge once.. Nice birds of prey ok, and yes they kill Pigeons for food ok, very natural...

TedR · 07-04-2021 3:00pm

bubblypop wrote: »

I'm in Dublin 7, near the Phoenix Park and this happened in my garden a few weeks ago.
I went out and interfered with nature, and I'll do the same if it happens again.
I have a tiny back garden, and a dog, I don't want to deal with half eaten pigeons all over the place, as well as keeping the dog away!

Plenty of pigeons, the sparrowhawk will get another one.

Half eaten pigeons all over the place :-)
If thats your level of understanding, you should also worry about the sparrowhawk swooping down to take the dog next. Cos thats about as likely.

07-04-2021 3:08pm

TedR wrote: »

Half eaten pigeons all over the place :-)
If thats your level of understanding, you should also worry about the sparrowhawk swooping down to take the dog next. Cos thats about as likely.

Dog is too big.
I'm not one bit sorry I don't understand whether the sparrowhawk eat all the pigeon or whether he leaves half it lying in the garden and I didn't have time to google.
I don't know why you would insult someone about their level of understanding of the sparrowhawks dining habits And then don't even tell them what they are!

TedR · 07-04-2021 3:10pm

Well the dog is safe enough anyway, so I wouldnt worry too much about the hawks dining habits.

07-04-2021 3:12pm

TedR wrote: »

Well the dog is safe enough anyway, so I wouldnt worry too much about the hawks dining habits.

Yep, the dog is safe enough

magicbastarder · 07-04-2021 3:28pm

i don't think you'd need to unduly worry about half eaten pigeons all over the place. it'd be a rare occasion for a hawk to kill or bring a kill into your garden; i suspect dealing with the remains of a pigeon once a year wouldn't be that onerous; certainly not compared to cleaning up what the dog itself leaves behind.

head82 · 07-04-2021 3:28pm

I had two wood pigeons residing in a huge pine tree at the end of my garden a couple of months ago.
Now I have one wood pigeon and a very neat pile of plucked feathers beneath the tree. I'm guessing it was a sparrohawk but I'm a little surprised because I'm not in a particularly rural area (not a lot of woodland about) and I assumed sparrowhawks required wooded landscape to thrive.

I emphasive plucked because it's my understanding that if the feathers are broken, scraggy then it was most likely a cat or fox who was the perpatrator.

07-04-2021 3:29pm

magicbastarder wrote: »

i don't think you'd need to unduly worry about half eaten pigeons all over the place. it'd be a rare occasion for a hawk to kill or bring a kill into your garden; i suspect dealing with the remains of a pigeon once a year wouldn't be that onerous; certainly not compared to cleaning up what the dog itself leaves behind.

Which is why I scared the one that had the pigeon in my garden away

TedR · 07-04-2021 4:31pm

You're doing great work. By your logic, predators are bad, especially on your property. Such nonsense.
I think you probably know that yourself.
I doubt anything I say is likely to change your mind so Ill try to leave it at that.

Thx to OP for the original pic/video, it was interesting to see.
Great to see that birds of prey are generally doing well and people are getting to see them more, despite some attitudes

07-04-2021 8:22pm

bubblypop wrote: »

I'm in Dublin 7, near the Phoenix Park and this happened in my garden a few weeks ago.
I went out and interfered with nature, and I'll do the same if it happens again.
I have a tiny back garden, and a dog, I don't want to deal with half eaten pigeons all over the place, as well as keeping the dog away!

Plenty of pigeons, the sparrowhawk will get another one.

:rolleyes:

fryup · 08-04-2021 5:28pm

Pops_20 wrote: »

I went outside and scared off the eagle raptor and both flew away, pigeon seemed OK.

i know you meant well, but by doing that your interfering with nature and prolonging the death of the pigeon

Stihl waters · 08-04-2021 8:54pm

fryup wrote: »

i know you meant well, but by doing that your interfering with nature and prolonging the death of the pigeon

Plus any injury inflicted on the pigeon is probably infected by now and will lead to suffering and slow death

YoshiReturns · 09-04-2021 6:15pm

Not a nice coincidence.

A female sparrowhawk just crashed into a neighbours window and died.
Think she was attracted to the birds on the bird feeder there.
Probably the one I saw the other day.
I can't believe it. Heartbroken.
Hopefully too early for chicks to be around.

TedR · 09-04-2021 6:26pm

Happens a lot unfortunately, shame. When you see the explosive speed of the attack flight you can understand how windows catch them out. Sometimes just stuns them, but usually terminal.

YoshiReturns · 09-04-2021 9:29pm

Looks like they don't have chicks until May/June. So at least that's a plus.

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/sparrowhawk/breeding-nesting-habits/#:~:text=Sparrowhawk%20young&text=Three%20to%20six%20eggs%20are,the%20chicks%20are%20different%20sizes.

"Three to six eggs are laid at two-day intervals during May. Incubation lasts for 32-35 days and the eggs hatch in succession over two or more days, so that the chicks are different sizes. The female helps the chicks to break out of their shell. They are covered in pure white short down, and their eyes are already partly open when they hatch. "

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/sparrowhawk/hunting/

"The usual flying speed is 30-40 kph, but a sparrowhawk is capable of up to 50 kph in short bursts. Hunting sparrowhawks can be so focussed on their task that they put themselves at risk of harm from collisions. Because they're quite easily seen, and small birds will give warning calls to each other, only about one attack in ten results in capture."

emo72 · 10-04-2021 12:38am

A sparrowhawk haunts a car dealership I know. It's full of pigeons, the hawk basically plucks them out of the air and devours them. Ive videos. I reckon the dealer could charge money for the show.

On a side note, I'd never seen a BOP in the 70s through till recent years, hard to believe buzzards were extinct in ireland and only recently ish reintroduced themselves, now I daily see more hawks than sparrows. It's absolutely amazing.

Birdnuts · 10-04-2021 1:04am

emo72 wrote: »

A sparrowhawk haunts a car dealership I know. It's full of pigeons, the hawk basically plucks them out of the air and devours them. Ive videos. I reckon the dealer could charge money for the show.

On a side note, I'd never seen a BOP in the 70s through till recent years, hard to believe buzzards were extinct in ireland and only recently ish reintroduced themselves, now I daily see more hawks than sparrows. It's absolutely amazing.

Same as - didn't see a BOP on my grandmothers farm in SE Mayo till 2016 despite having a near 40 year interest in birding. Its hard to believe that as recently as the 80's you would be lucky to see a Kestrel or Hawk once or twice a year in most of the country

Eoinbmw · 10-04-2021 9:57am

Birdnuts wrote: »

Same as - didn't see a BOP on my grandmothers farm in SE Mayo till 2016 despite having a near 40 year interest in birding. Its hard to believe that as recently as the 80's you would be lucky to see a Kestrel or Hawk once or twice a year in most of the country

I grew up beside Colbert station in Limerick city and all through the 80/90s there was sparrow hawks living in the area !
The railway station was absolutely full of pigeons/gulls and crows so must have been a rich hunting ground for the Hawks!
I have never spotted a sparrow Hawk in the countryside only ever in urban areas!

TedR · 10-04-2021 2:18pm

Sparrowhawks in particular are stealthy operators. They are widespread and common. Even in suburban situations there are likely to be spars in your area.
I know of several nests in Dublin city environs, which might not seem likely.

But definitely not easy to spot, oftentimes the only indication is a sudden rush through a garden etc. If you are lucky enough to see one on a kill it may have to eat where the prey has been caught, but even then, if the prey item isnt too large the hawk will usually carry it to cover to finish the meal.

This is actually a good time of year to see them as they may be seen doing high soaring flights over their nesting territories around now.

And to say again, it is great to see our raptors doing well generally, its a success story really, and a positive sign in the overall ecological picture.

Mimon · 10-04-2021 2:24pm

bubblypop wrote: »

Dog is too big.
I'm not one bit sorry I don't understand whether the sparrowhawk eat all the pigeon or whether he leaves half it lying in the garden and I didn't have time to google.
I don't know why you would insult someone about their level of understanding of the sparrowhawks dining habits And then don't even tell them what they are!

Wut?

Mimon · 10-04-2021 2:28pm

TedR wrote: »

Happens a lot unfortunately, shame. When you see the explosive speed of the attack flight you can understand how windows catch them out. Sometimes just stuns them, but usually terminal.

A wood pigeon was attacking a window at work. Presume that he was getting territorial as it's breeding season, seeing his reflection as a rival.

Tried to chase him away for his own good, he more or less ignored me as he was so focused on attacking his "rival". Eventually he went to a tree close to the window.

reniwren · 10-04-2021 2:51pm

MOD: <<SNIP..

Unfortunately there are and some have great ideas for saving the environment, like creating lovely parks and golf courses, instead of letting things be wild and allowed to live properly.
Have seen a good few owls you just need to be able to call them. (And it to be night obviously). Great to see.
One came at me when disturbed eating it's freshly cought rabbit.

Ger Roe · 10-04-2021 3:51pm

emo72 wrote: »

A sparrowhawk haunts a car dealership I know. It's full of pigeons, the hawk basically plucks them out of the air and devours them. Ive videos. I reckon the dealer could charge money for the show.

On a side note, I'd never seen a BOP in the 70s through till recent years, hard to believe buzzards were extinct in ireland and only recently ish reintroduced themselves, now I daily see more hawks than sparrows. It's absolutely amazing.

Here in North East Wicklow, the Buzzrds are now a daily sight and sound, soaring above our local towns and villages, Newtown, Kilcoole, Greystones.

There are two things I regularly look up for overhead.... Buzzards and the space station

TedR · 10-04-2021 4:11pm

Good few Red Kites down your way too.

Ger Roe · 10-04-2021 4:20pm

TedR wrote: »

Good few Red Kites down your way too.

Haven't seen any here yet, but I believe they are well established in Avoca.

Just as I am typing here, I heard the buzzard call and went out the back garden to see six of them riding the thermals looking like they are practicing formation flying in a clear blue sky..... great to see.

TedR · 10-04-2021 4:23pm

Lovely!

bobbysands81 · 10-04-2021 5:21pm

Here’s a sparrow hawk after a kill on a pigeon a few weeks back.

https://twitter.com/bobbysands81/status/1356639913559662598?s=21

whisky_galore · 10-04-2021 5:27pm

Circle of life.

Predators have to eat too you know? What do you expect it to do? Chew on celery?

New Home · 10-04-2021 7:48pm

MOD: Folks, please cut out the personal attacks and the tit-for-tat. I've deleted some posts, please keep it civil. Thanks.

Eagle attacking Pigeon?

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