Oh no! There's a hawk in my backyard, trying to catch birds...

[Misunderestimator]

I have dozens of sparrows nesting in the tree in my backyard. They're screaming right now. I keep scaring the hawk off, but he keeps coming back... Even two crows dive-bombing him is not deterring him. Help!!

[supernova]

1. Hey, looks like he's found the buffet!

:-)

I don't know what to tell you, sorry.

[Misunderestimator]

4. ...

:P Seriously... this is awful... he must be raiding their nests... :cry:

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

2. Poor little things!

Hope all goes well for them!

[progmom]

3. this totally reminds me of my crow/bunny story

i am so sorry. that sucks. i wish i could help. x(

[Misunderestimator]

7. It IS like that... I can't do anything about it.

The tree is too tall, and he's inside the branches... couldn't even hit him with a rock if I tried. :cry:

[progmom]

11. everyone is going to tell you that it's nature and you should suck it up

but i know how you feel, and i'm so sorry. :hug: :cry:

[Misunderestimator]

12. Thanks... and I know it's nature...

Doesn't change that it's in my backyard. :( :hug:

Awful noises being made out there right now... screeching from the hawk, weird weird screeching from the crows, and dozens of high-piched frantic cries from the sparrows.

[progmom]

20. it was the noises that got to me too

:hug:

[Kilroy003]

10. I've seen crow/bunny and crow/squirrel encounters...

Disturbing, eh?

[henslee]

5. Kill it. Eat it.

[havocmom]

23. tastes just like chicken

mmmmmmmm

[henslee]

71. nice to see a "dark" mom out there.

[havocmom]

73. dis ol momma is fairly well balanced in her havoc

and mayhem. ;)

Kindness is good, but too much sugar will stunt your growth!

[ihaveaquestion]

6. It's the "circle of life" at work. Leave it alone. n/t

[Misunderestimator]

9. Except that I contributed to this by feeding the birds and encouraging

them to nest in the tree... x(

[ihaveaquestion]

53. You could think of it as setting up a buffet for the predators.

Sorry, but that's natures way.

BTW, the crows are probably upset that the hawk is horning in on their dinner. They're notorious nest raiders.

[spinbaby]

8. Sorry, that's nature

Best to draw the drapes and not watch.

[redqueen]

13. Put out some bunnies?

Kidding!

I know... it's hard... I hope they can chase it off... but if they can't, chances are it must be very hungry.

:pals:

[candy]

Survival of the fittest-tough to watch though.

[I Know How To Do it]

27. In this case the Sparrows are far more fit. Count how many sparrows

you see on a daily basis as compared to how many Hawks you see on a daily basis.

[I Know How To Do it]

14. I have a spider in the bushes trying to catch grasshoppers!

[Misunderestimator]

18. Gee thanks... and Welcome to DU.

:toast:

[redqueen]

19. Nobody cares about bugs, silly!

Besides, those things are pretty tasty, really. And spiders are cool. So... in conclusion... screw the grasshopers! Mwahahaha!

[In_The_Wind]

30. Welcome to DU ... I Know How To Do it

[I Know How To Do it]

38. thank you.

[In_The_Wind]

45. I'm watching a whole bunch of tadpoles grow

and thinking about all of the insects that will be missing from my yard as they spread out to hunt :)

[Old_Fart]

51. Black Widow?

:shrug:

[I Know How To Do it]

78. Nah. it's one of those great big yellow and black Garden Spiders

[AntiCoup2K4]

15. The crows will just piss him off

If they don't back off, the hawk will probably start gradually circling upwards. The crows (not being the brightest bulbs in the drawer) will follow. Eventually they'll reach the altitude where only hawks and eagles dare to fly, and the crows will find themselves with a nasty headache from the air pressure. I've seen hawks and eagles do this many times, and the crows don't seem to send the memo out to their relatives, as they fall for it every time.

[Misunderestimator]

21. That's wild! I wish they would do that now...

'cause the noise is driving me batty. There are five crows out there now.

[Zorbuddha]

101. Crows and jays are among the smartest of birds.

On a par with parrots. With the cognitive ability of a small child and with the ability to make and use tools, to comprehend abstract concepts. How sharp do you want?

Crows are very intelligent birds.

[AntiCoup2K4]

126. Oh, I agree they usually are.

That's why it amazes me that they fall for that scam when the hawks and eagles pull it. It's pretty much the bird equivalent of the "frog in boiling water" theory.

As for blue jays, I saw one of those guys do something truly unbelieveable a few years ago. Had these two kittens at the time and they were staring up at this telephone pole, and they had this pissed off look on their faces that you don't see on kittens all that much. Then I heard the meowing coming from on top of this pole. My first thought was "How the hell did a cat get way up there?". Then I noticed there was no cat. Only a blue jay. And sure as shit, he was the one meowing. And the kittens didn't like it at all :( I was impressed though.

[BikeWriter]

16. Sorry Sweety. He's a natural predator...

Nature put him there.

[demnan]

17. Do you have any raw meat in the fridge?

Seriously, feed him and he may go away.

[Gildor Inglorion]

22. The predator improves the prey...

it's not pretty, but it's natural. By harvesting the slowest, weakest, least "fit" members of the flock, that hawk is actually helping to ensure the survival of the species. Just don't watch.

[LynneSin]

24. Maybe if you put a collar with a bell on it that'll solve the problem

it did for Matcom's neighbor cat that wanted to dine on Mrs. Matcom's songbirds

[Misunderestimator]

25. LOL... Um... Ok, I'll go do that right now...

... Damn... he's not coming when I call to him... :eyes: :P

[LynneSin]

28. Silly girl - you need to catch him in a net

and I might suggest wearing very heavy gloves and clothing made of strong, tear-resistant materials

[Misunderestimator]

32. Ok... I'll just to head over to the net store... brb.

That's like a chainlink steel net, isn't it? :scared:

[LynneSin]

35. You got one of those stores in your neighborhood too

And chainlink is tough to toss in the air, might want to try a fishing net made of strong cord

[David Hood]

26. Can you turn it into a teaching experience for yourself or someone else?

Just a thought...

[GreenPartyVoter]

29. Welcome to DU *Wave*

[In_The_Wind]

34. Welcome to DU ... David Hood

[Misunderestimator]

36. Sure, I'll just set up a lawn chair in the back and watch it unfold...

x( Just kidding.... if I had a kid, I guess it could be a valuable learning experience. Fortunately, I don't... so instead I'll just be sad about it.

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[necso]

31. They could be ravens.

Ravens are territorial and not over-fond of hawks.

But two ravens should have little problem dealing with a hawk (in the air anyway).

Of course, they like a meal of sparrow also... And stealing his prey may turn out to be on the agenda, if only as an afterthought.

Try noise... or a pellet gun.

[Misunderestimator]

41. They could be ravens... They are quite large.

I've been out there yelling and clapping my hands, but the crows (or ravens) are much louder than me. Shooting off a pellet gun here would likely get me arrested :)

I suppose there's really not much for me to do...

[necso]

47. Make really loud, sudden noise.

A pellet gun is air-powered and makes little noise.

Life can be very cruel.

(Beak shape is an indicator.)

Oh, and if the ravens have the hawk treed, he may not be going anywhere for a while.

If the hawk's mate shows up, it could get interesting.

But my money is on the ravens.

...

I am raven, wise, brave and strong.
No raptor's beak, or killing claws,
But hesitate I, never long,
At nature's call, to nature's law.

[necso]

125. Oh,

you can sometimes scare off small animals by just shooting near them (so they notice -- and for a time, anyway).

Not that there is much chance that you would actually shoot a hawk, I think.

If you ever actually use it, be sure to post about how that hose deal works out. -- Vertical reach can be an issue. (Fires are a big threat here, and we have done testing -- of course, your water pressure may well differ. And nozzles can make a significant difference.)

[CottonBear]

33. Survival of the fittest. Hawks gotta eat too! n/t

[NoSunWithoutShadow]

37. Try this

This worked for me to scare off a bunch of crows bothering the smaller birds.

Get two dish towels, I used red checkered ones, and hold one in each hand and flap them like you're an extremely large bird, in the direction of the hawk. Look at him and make shrieking noises.

Hope it helps. I totally sympathize.

[progmom]

39. and when you do that....

take pictures, please! :P :rofl:

[Misunderestimator]

42. LOL... You would like that!

:P :rofl:

[In_The_Wind]

40. owl decoys work to keep seagulls away

but I don't have a clue about how to help your sparrows ... I feed the songbirds too

[I Know How To Do it]

46. Only for awhile. They put Owl Decoys under a great big bridge

than spans a pretty large rail way station here to keep the pigeons from nesting under it. The pigeons are there by the 1,000s and crap all over the cars. Guess what's covered with crap now? The Owl decoys! They now stand on the decoys and crap on them.

[In_The_Wind]

59. but even a little while would give the fledglings a chance to grow & live

are you aware that there is a 70% mortality of newborns ... few make it through the first year of life

[I Know How To Do it]

62. Owl decoys attack pigeon babies?

[progmom]

69. ...

:rofl: :rofl::rofl: can't breathe...turning red... :rofl: :rofl:

[In_The_Wind]

70. I'm still thinking about the OP ~ hawks catching birds

:silly:

[I Know How To Do it]

74. oh, ok.

[GardeningGal]

43. Can you see the hawk?

If you can, I'd try getting the hose and try to hit it with some water.

[Misunderestimator]

48. I saw him, yes... he's gone now... as are the crows.

I'll get the hose out in case they come back. Good idea.

[Midlodemocrat]

44. Can you use your hose on it?

Just to scare it off. Sorry this is happening.

:hug:

[Misunderestimator]

49. Thanks for the hug...

...if it comes back, I'll try spraying it. :( What awful sounds they were making.

[Shakespeare]

50. I know how you feel--we have an owl stalking our 2 backyard chickens!

How do I know? Because he's been harfing up owl pellets (which are actually kind of interesting to look at) on our back patio. We live in a suburban area with a TINY backyard. Fortunately, I built them a completely enclosed run, so there's no way the owl can get to them.

Hope the sparrow babies survive!

[Gato Moteado]

52. first of all.....don't bother the hawk....

all raptors are protected species.

secondly....when you say there are sparrows in your trees are you talking about european house finches (the non-native pesky birds we call sparrows)? if you're talking about these birds, commonly referred to as sparrows, you should be glad that the hawk is thinning them out. in fact it would be good if we could eradicate these non-native birds since they chase native songbirds out of their nesting areas. starlings are another introduced species that have helped lead to the decline in songbird populations.

anyways, it's common for birds to gang up on hawks and scold them when they're in trees. if the hawk wanted to eat any of the birds he would have gotten one by now.

by the way, crows and ravens are nest raiders who often kill young birds inside the nests of other species. hawks are specialized hunters that pull down adult prey, often in midflight. so, before you demonize the hawk and jump to the side of the crows, you might want to think about that.

[progmom]

55. there was no demonizing of hawks

your preachiness is misplaced here.

[Gato Moteado]

66. sorry......

...but when i hear people talking about using pellet guns to shoot a hawk i will tend to get a little preachy. it's illegal, not to mention totally irresponsible and stupid.

hawks are natural predators and their presence only strengthens the populations of the prey. non-native birds like european sparrows and starlings are one of the big reasons for the decline of native songbirds like bluebirds in the US. pet cats, whose owners let them run free, are another cause for the disappearance of songbirds. domestic cats are NOT natural predators and they kill even when they're well fed....solely for the purpose of killing. they hunt in ways that prey are not accustomed to....they climb up into trees and knock entire nests down.

so please don't shoot at, throw things at, or otherwise try to harm hawks, falcons, owls or any other raptors that might venture into urban or suburban areas.

[Misunderestimator]

67. I never suggested pellet guns... or anything else.

So you went after the wrong person I guess.

[Gato Moteado]

72. sorry if you think i "went after you"....

....and you can look up in the thread and see pellet guns mentioned.

it's typical for hawks that are simply perched in trees to be spotted by the local songbirds and crows who all team up and harrass the hawk to try to chase him out of the area. i've even seen birds react the same way when other large birds, like egrets, happen to perch in a tree. so, i'm sure that's what you were witnessing.....the hawk just happened to be in the tree. if he was hungry you would have seen a bird or squirrel in his talons.

also, as i mentioned before, it is birds like crows and ravens that are nest raiders. these are the guys that will kill and eat nestlings of smaller birds.

just curious....but do you know what type of sparrow-like birds you actually have nesting in your tree? if they're native songbirds, then that's awesome. if they're the non-native european house sparrows then here's a page you might find interesting:

http://www.sewanee.edu/biology/courses/bio201/Introduced.html

here's an exerpt from the page:

Like the European starling, house sparrows were introduced from Europe around 1850 and have since experienced an enormous increase in population size (Arcieri 1992). House sparrows are not related to native North American sparrows. Instead, they are most closely related to weaver birds (Family Ploceidae). Sometimes called the English sparrow, house sparrows are characterized as aggressive birds which often take over the nests of native swallows, bluebirds, and house wrens. The worst problem with the introduction of the house sparrow seems to be also related with the displacement and decline of native bird populations (Arcieri 1992). Although the data obtained from the Breeding Bird Survey (Sauer et al. 1996) concerning the declining population sizes of the barn swallow and eastern bluebird was inconclusive, other studies have shown that house sparrows do compete for the same nest cavities with swallows and bluebirds (Culotta 1991, Arcieri 1992, Edge 1996). It would seem that the ubiquitous house sparrow would decrease the breeding success of these native birds through nest cavity competition. Other problems associated with increasing numbers of house sparrows include aesthetic and mechanical damage to houses and buildings and damage to crops through foraging on wheat and corn grain.

[Misunderestimator]

77. The birds in my trees look like these:

There are also some purple finches I see mixed among them at the feeder... but mainly song sparrows.

As for the hawk, he was not just perched in the tree... he was diving into the tree, hopping from branch to branch, scattering birds in his wake. This is the first time I've witnessed this hawk here, which is why I'm concerned that my feeding of the sparrows (and yes, they are american song sparrows) has made them a target.

[Gato Moteado]

88. ah yes....those are native sparrows......very nice

well, i hope the hawk doesn't return.

but, at least know that these birds are naturally able to cope with natural predation like hawks, etc. it's the neighborhood cats i would worry about more. that, and the people that want to cut down trees for a view. ;)

[Misunderestimator]

90. LOL... We are agreed then!

:)

[Misunderestimator]

60. LOL... Demonizing the hawk. LOL!!

No, I am simply reacting to the fact that there are living beings protecting their nests in my trees from an invader. The crows/ravens have been effectively chasing off the hawk, so I'm happy about that. I have seen them around here before, and the birds have NEVER reacted the way they did now with the hawk threatening them.

I LOVE Hawks, I love alligators too, but I wouldn't want one messing around with something in my yard. I'm not about to kill the thing, it's beautiful. I just want to scare it away from my yard so that I don't have to endure life's little lesson.

But... hey, thanks for the laugh. :rofl:

[Old_Fart]

54. Do you own the "tree"

Then cut it down after the babies are either out of the nest or taken away.

Hawks and crows are predatory birds and I don't know why they are swarming around each other in the first place.

You can always resort to a pea shooter, sling shot and broom. Aim right or you might hit one of the precious babies.

[Gato Moteado]

57. why would you suggest using a slingshot to attack.....

...a protected species?

and cutting down a tree so a hawk won't land in it? isn't that a bit extreme?

[Old_Fart]

75. This country was based on laws

The Chimpy administration have broken them all. Why should we follow the laws? After the babies have flown away I would cut the tree down and get rid of the hawks and crows. It would give you a better view of the sky. At times like this, you cant see the forrest for all of the trees. Cutting one down would allow you to see more of the forrest or sky.

[Misunderestimator]

80. There's no way I would cut a tree down... especially not for a view.

[Gato Moteado]

84. i'm sorry.....

....but that's one of the most bizarre things i've ever heard a DUer say.

[Old_Fart]

95. Its a Metaphor

"You cant see the forrest for the trees".

[Gato Moteado]

99. that's not the part of your post i was referring to.

nt

[tblue37]

56. I have an essay on my "Pet Tales" site

that is partly about hawks that swoop down and snatch small animals right in front of you--and the risk this can pose to cats or small dogs in one's own back yard.

"FWAP! FWAP! FWAP! FWAP! FWAP!"
http://pettales.homestead.com/fwap.html

[I Know How To Do it]

58. CALL 911! I had a girlfriend that called 911 because a bat got in the

house.
She lost her mind and called 911!
About a year later there was a segment on the local news about what and what wasn't an appropriate reason for calling 911 and they mentioned the bat call. I started laughing and pointed at her. I almost needed to call 911 myself after doing that.

[Misunderestimator]

64. LOL...

That was karmic for her... ha!

[matcom]

61. CALL YOUR NEIGHBORS IMMEDIATELY!!!!

have them all let out their "outdoor" CATS!!

wwwwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

:popcorn:

[Misunderestimator]

65. Ok, be right back!

[texas1928]

63. Well it is scary to watch but...

That is nature happening in your backyard.

[Theres-a]

68. I was traumatized

When I witnessed a hawk catch a bluejay last winter.Ever since ,I throw rocks and yell at hawks near my feeders.I don't necessarily recommend this behavior,I just wanted to share.

[Taverner]

76. Let nature take its course

if the hawk doesn't kill them, some other one will....

Mother nature is cruel.

[Oreo]

106. Giggity Giggiity Goo!

cool avatar



Watch what you guys are saying... freepers might call the cops like they did with Walldude's post ;)

[leftofthedial]

79. what do you have against hawks?

there are plenty of sparrows

everyone has to eat.

[Misunderestimator]

81. ....

:P

[I Know How To Do it]

82. Hawks hate our freedom!

Bomb it!

[Misunderestimator]

83. I'll call the FBI right away.

One of those crows DID leave a suspicious unattended package...

[I Know How To Do it]

87. Good idea. We must be ever vigilant to those that want to

destroy our way of life!

[Texasgal]

85. This is one funny ass thread....

NOMINATED! :P

[Misunderestimator]

91. Damn you!

:P :rofl:

[Atlas Mugged]

86. Keep harrasing him

And be glad your crows are after him. He will give up.

I go through this rather rarely, even though I'm deep in the country with about 15 bird feeders. I can tell something is happening even before I see it, just by the way my birds are behaving. But every time it's happened I just keep up my very vocal presence and they just give up.
Amazingly, the small birds can really make life hell for the raptors. He'll decide to look for lone birds, rather than fucking with a colony.

Good luck; I know what you're going through. I had to nurse a Woodcock back to health after he got his wing hurt by a hawk, but it turned into a rather amazing experience for both of us. Hell, I'd never even SEEN a Woodcock before, so it was an amazing opportunity, despite it being a near tragedy.

We've really got some comedians on here, don't we?

[Misunderestimator]

92. Thanks... that seems to be what happened here...

After about 15 minutes the hawk left, he hasn't been back. Go sparrows!! :woohoo:

And yes we do have some comedians... who should keep their day jobs. :)

[Shell Beau]

89. I hate situations like this.

The big birds need to eat, but the little ones need to survive. It is a catch 22. The hawks probably won't stop. They are predators and are usually pretty determined.

[Misunderestimator]

93. You're right, except that this is a very residential neighborhood...

I think the hawk is way out of his element anyway, so I hope he won't be coming back. I'd just rather watch this stuff on the Discovery channel instead of seeing it in my backyard is all... :shrug: :hi:

[Shell Beau]

94. I have a hard time even watching it on Discovery!

I hope you can chase him off. :hi:

[I Know How To Do it]

96. Oh hey! Call your City Council member and see if there any Hawk

Zoning laws that are being broken. You might be able to take that Hawk to court!

[Misunderestimator]

97. Yeah, ok... I'll get right on that.

[hunter]

98. We have a birdfeeder, and hawks too.

The hawks much appreciate us. Mostly they seem to eat the doves our bird feeder attracts. The doves are not a native species. We used to have a lot of pigeons here too, but the larger hawks finished them all off a couple of years ago.

This spring we had a lot of "little brown birds" nesting in our trees. One morning I looked outside and saw a night heron awkwardly hopping from nest to nest gobbling down baby birds. I did not chase him away since I don't often see night herons in our yard. There are plenty of little brown birds.

My favorite wild birds are the vultures and ravens. Sometimes I see them playing. Most other wild birds don't seem to play. I suppose they are much too worried about getting eaten.

[Maraya1969]

100. Call your local wildlife rehabilitating folks and ask them what to do

It might be ok for you to move the nest. I did a quick check and there is a thing called a "Hawk Catcher"

[specimenfred1984]

102. In the Future, 2 Possible Actions

for you to think about doing: bring a cat into the scene or soak a rag/towel in gasoline and put it where the hawk could smell it.

Fear or a bad smell might scare it away.

[Oreo]

107. Light the rag and burn down the tree?

[quisp]

103. sorry to say but it's the circle of life... n/t

[Blue-Jay]

104. I'd be rooting for the hawk.

Hey, everybody's got to eat. Plus, hawks are pretty.

[Misunderestimator]

105. He was very pretty. I just couldn't take the crying of the sparrows...

it really did sound like crying to me... dozens and dozens of them... what an awful sound.

[arikara]

110. I was told by a birdwatcher once that little birds

always make a big racket whenever the raptors are around because its warning to other birds, and they want to let the hawk know that the little guys are aware that he is there and can't sneak up on them.

I once saw a big bald eagle eating the baby crows right out of their nest with about 50 adults swooping around screaming and dive bombing it. The eagle totally ignored the crows, finished its breakfast and glided away with a huge stream of crows chasing after him. After, the crows came back to the tree and held a powwow for awhile, making a terrible din then suddenly most flew off in every direction leaving only 2 - probably the parents- still sitting on the tree. This happened in my neighbor's yard right in the middle of the city, the racket woke me up and I got up to see what was going on. It was horrible, yet one of the fascinating things I've ever seen.

[bertha katzenengel]

108. Tom Skerrit as Drum Eatenton in "Steel Magnolias" before the

wedding - ring any bells? ;)

I'm very sorry to make light of this but I have no other suggestions than to rig a noisemaker in your tree, but then that would scare away the sparrows.

I saw a kestrel once, eating its catch. I was horrified and pretty well catatonic for about an hour afterwards. I'm very sorry, Mis. :hug:

[Catchawave]

109. Hard to witness, but he's a natural predator and

has a family to feed too.

:hug:

[ucmike]

111. nature is as nature does.

do some research on sparrows. those cute little brown guys are notorious killers who will raid nearby nests for no reason. they will kill bluebirds in their boxes then go back to their own nests. they will ambush baby birds in the nest then wait for the parents to return and kill them too. they will tear the eyes out of their victims and leave them alive in the nest.

another interesting fact is that most sparrows in the u.s. are a foreign species that spawned from a european flock accidentally released in new york in the 1800's. the original flock was about 100 birds.

[Misunderestimator]

112. Um... ok... but these are american song sparrows...

if you cared to read the whole thread. :eyes:

[ucmike]

127. um..ok...but you used the term "sparrows"

i responded to your original post, where you used the generic term "sparrows", with some info i learned while researching the sparrows that live in my gutters. since house sparrows are the most commonly known i assumed you were refering to them.

sorry if i didn't take the time to read all the posts about pellet guns and waving brooms before i posted a little bit of trivia i came across. sorry if i used the same generic term you used. i didn't realize that this thread had such merit that i had to read every single post before i had the audacity to respond to your original post. i didn't realize that every single post to DU should be entered under the rules of a modern debate.

:finger:

.

[Misunderestimator]

128. LOL... Thanks for that lovely response...

:eyes:

[BrightKnight]

113. Pale Male

http://www.palemale.com/

This is a really beautiful site that might make you feel better about it.

[Misunderestimator]

119. That's quite a beautiful bird!

Lovely pics on that site! :thumbsup:

[MisterP]

114. it's a depressing situation, the human condition: we can see the strong

and nontrasferable validity of each species's side (no 1 hawk = 200 sparrows or something). Some will demand "kill all hawks" or "kill all sparrows"--it is best to avoid the advice-givers and their advice.

[MrSlayer]

115. Why hate on the Hawk? He has to eat too you know.

It's the way of nature.

[Misunderestimator]

116. No one is hating the hawk... just hating the sound of the birds...

anyway, he left hours ago... And yes, I know that it's the circle of life, and yes I know that the hawk has to eat, and yes I know that this happens all the time... blah, blah, blah. :crazy: The hawk is beautiful... I hope to see him again. :)

[Neshanic]

117. Food chain in your yard. Not pretty. Some birds are just snack size.

Hawks gotta eat too.

[BrightKnight]

118. self delete - n/t

[GoddessOfGuinness]

120. Hawks get hungry too...

Much as I love all the little birdies, I can't begrudge their trying to survive...

[steely]

121. my sentiments exactly

Could be a hawk with some mouths to feed.

[SoCalDem]

122. That hawk has young to feed

and nature is not always "kind and fluffy".. I always have to change the channel before the cheetah gets the gazelle:cry:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

123. I crack up every time I see that pic...

It suits him so well... :rofl:

[Briarius]

124. you could let your cat out

if I've learned anything from DU, it's that the cat would so kill the hawk. And the sparrows. And every other flying animal in a 30 mile radius. hmmm, maybe not

Seriously though, there's not much you can do. Stay in the yard near the nest and that should help if you really feel like you have to save the sparrows.