Bird Watching Basics & Birding Tips

Sparrowhawk in my garden...This sparrowhawk had made a kill in my little "bird friendly" garden. It was only slightly larger than its victim, a Javan Mynah. See the pile of feathers on the left bottom side of the photo. I always imagined that sparrowhawks picked on ¡°sparrow¡± size birds. Well now I know better, that they can pick on birds that are much bigger relative to their size.

My teenage daughter called me at work about a dead bird in the yard (avian flu scare). The dead bird had it feathers plucked out and all of its guts missing. I told her it¡¯s a hawk kill and not to worry.

A few minutes later, she called to say that the hunter has returned for the prey. I told her to grab the camera and get some pictures for me so I can identify the bird. The little hawk was very protective of its prey because each time she tried to peer out of the door with the camera; it would raise its wings as a warning. No human was going to come between it and its meal. It took an about an hour to completely devour the Javan Mynah. Nothing was left, no bones and not even the legs. Now that is really big appetite for a small bird.

The opinion by all the birders in the local bird group is tied between it being either a Japanese Sparrowhawk (Accipiter gularis) or Besra Sparrowhawk (Accipiter virgatus). Well that¡¯s going to be a problem for me. What shall I mark off in my lifer list?