Wednesday 2 March 2016

Sparrowhawk Microwaves Blackbird - or so it seemed!

I posted a picture on Twitter recently that someone had sent to me. The picture was taken on his phone, and it has had hundreds of re-tweets on twitter. So here is that picture:


I had received the picture to confirm the identification of the bird, but I also want to share with you the story behind the picture. This is what had happened:

 "We left the door open while we we taking shopping into kitchen, when in came a Blackbird followed by the Sparrowhawk, which took it out of the air. It tried to leave via the window, sadly closed. It dropped the bird and landed where you see it. I picked up the dead blackbird put it on the sill and opened the window. It left without the bird."

So there is the story behind that amazing picture. The comments on Twitter have been great if you have time to read through them, but here are just a few of them:

paul ‏@arborist2222 
@WildeAboutBirds @_BTO looks like it's put said Blackbird in the microwave and waiting

@birdingprof  
I'm sure it used to be traditional to bake them in a pie, I guess technology has moved on 

@JimWelford  
@WildeAboutBirds @nybirdnews Baking four and twenty in the microwave?

@notsotweets  
New research shows that in times of prey shortages, Sparrowhawks will resort to eating microwave dinners. 

@ximenesuk  
Sparrowhawk deciding what setting to put the blackbird on now it has got it into the kitchen.

So over to all of you, what so you think the Sparrowhawk is thinking?


12 comments:

  1. Amazing picture. "Should I grill or just reheat"

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  2. How do I change the channel? I want to see if I'm on Springwatch.

    thesetter

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  3. "I thought flat screen tv's were bigger than this" !!


    peter

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  4. It reminds me of the time a few years ago at Sandwich Bay Bird Obs when one of the local residents came in to ask for help because "two birds were chasing each other round her kitchen". They turned out to be a Sparrowhawk and a Merlin. The ringers eventually managed to release them both from the kitchen.

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  5. Amazing to have a Sparrow Hawk in the house!

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  6. A new version of Nania: The Spar the witch and the microwave

    Cheers

    DaveyMan

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  7. Pretty fascinating! I'm glad the raptor got back outside ok. It was probably confused. :-)

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  8. Only needs another 3 and 20 blackbirds and it will have a pie!!!

    Great story!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  9. LOL on the comments....love the one about the pie most. LOL

    And the photo is truly amazing.

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  10. Brilliant. Loving the comments too. I'm not sure how but I missed that on my twitter feed. I shall check that out later tonight when I get home.

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  11. Anyone know the weight of a Blackbird please?

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  12. Wonderful... I really don't think I can better Phil Slade's comment above...
    nor @notsotweets "prey shortage"... nor @birdingprof "modern technology"!
    I photographed one here that was sitting in the artificial bush that I'd set up behind our feeders out in the field... cheeky... or opportunistic... not sure, but he left empty clawed!

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