Predators are around, and the crows posted lookouts in their territory.
I did not have to wait long to see some action, as the doves and smaller birds suddenly scattered into hiding. For the past few days, a Sparrow Hawk (Accipter melanoleucus) sped through here, and for the love of me when the crows tried to catch the hawk, they were too fast and I couldn't get it on camera. But today, at last, I managed to get a shot of the hawk with the crows chasing it.
The black sparrowhawk (Astur melanoleucus), sometimes known as the black goshawk or great sparrowhawk, is a bird of prey belonging to the family Accipitridae. It was formerly placed in the genus Accipiter. It occurs mainly in forest and non-desert areas south of the Sahara, particularly where there are large trees suitable for nesting; favored habitat includes suburban and human-altered landscapes. It preys predominantly on birds of moderate size, such as pigeons and doves, in suburban areas.
The "black morph" variety is generally rare, except along the coastal regions of South Africa, including the Cape Peninsula where they constitute 80% of the population. (Black sparrowhawks do not occur more than about 200–300 km north of Cape Town along the South African west coast, where there are almost no trees.) These "black (or dark) morphs", when seen perched, can be black all over, but more commonly have a few white spots on the breast or a white throat of variable size. In flight both morphs show white and black barring on the underside of the wings and tail.
You just cannot know how glad I was to get this shot below. Three crow guards at the left trying their best to catch the sparrow hawk at the right of the picture.
Meanwhile the other crows in the family were alerted, and they gathered to fly over the territory in an effort to show their strength to any other predators that were thinking of trying their luck in the area.
A silent witness watched the show.
I was so excited to get this, that I didn't even both to take some other photos as I wanted to share this event with you. I have been waiting for a long time to get an action shot of the crows chasing the sparrow hawk in their area, and at last I got it. That hawk is very fast, and our little wild birds are all in danger here, especially as two laughing doves are nesting in a tree that grows in the front of our neighbor's house.
But hang on and let me show you why we worry about the sparrow hawk.
This is why, as you can see, one of the little laughing doves is building a nest.
And there it goes into the tree where they are building the nest.
This is the tree in front of our neighbor's house.
Not only the sparrow hawk can get them, but there are also house cats and other predator birds, such as the harrier hawk active here, but we keep a watch on the tree every day. The risk, of course, is when we are away with our charity work as then the tree is unguarded. Predators are sly and they bide their time until it is safe for them to grab a meal. We can only hope that the doves will survive, and that we will see their young soon.
Such is life.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story.
Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-Reserved.
Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.
Until next time, cheers!
