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A sparrowhawk’s kill

on 8th September 2009

“My first job on a morning is to let our Cairn Terrier out into the garden to ‘do her business’. On Monday morning this week I went into the kitchen and saw through the window a dark shape drop onto the lawn. I could see immediately that it was a male *sparrowhawk that had just caught what appeared to be a blackbird (above). This was exciting for me since I had never actually seen a hawk in my garden even though we often found feathers from previous kills.

“I immediately rushed into another room to get my camera which happened to have a 500mm f4 lens attached. Hoping my camera settings were appropriate I immediately started taking shots through the closed window and between vertical blinds.

“It only took the hawk about 7 minutes to completely devour its prey and was truly amazing to watch.

“The photographs did appear to be a little misty due to the fact that they were taken through a double glazed window. A little later I found quite a few shots were spoiled by movement because of the slow shutter speed resulting from the poor light. However I rescued some good shots on the computer later on.

“In all the excitement I forgot about my dog and found her sitting glumly in a corner with her legs crossed!

“One of the shots I am particularly pleased with – it’s the one where the sparrowhawk is looking down into the face of its prey and I daresay you could add a caption such as ‘How are you going to get out of this, then’ (above).

Renton Charman
Guisborough
England
26th August 2009

*Northern Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)

All images by Renton Charman.

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

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