everythings going to be alright!

I have been seeing sparrowhawks on a daily basis for some years now. Its almost become part of my daily routine as I cycle to work, out bird watching or walking the dog to see a sparrowhawk soaring the skies in search of a likely place to ambush small passerines or even more exciting as it bursts through the garden in hot pursuit of a finch or sparrow. These handsome birds have become almost common. I often wonder why this is the case. Is it because of habitat creation - DER NO!, is it because of larger numbers of prey items available - WRONG AGAIN! perhaps its because of a decline in the use of certain pesticides. I decided to investigate further and found the following references

The RSPB
The Breeding Bird Survey for 2006 showed that the UK sparrowhawk population declined by 1% between 1994-2006, whereas common prey actually increased in numbers: blackbirds by 18%, robins by 18%, great tits by 54%, collared doves by 39% and song thrush by 17%.

The Journal of Zoology
The long-term increase reflected the national population recovery over this period and followed the reduction in the use of organochlorine pesticides.

So I'm sort of right and wrong!!

Anyway I have always seen the presence of a sparrowhawk as a reminder of God's wonderful creation and was not disappointed again today. I have a suspicion I have blogged on this topic before but SOD IT - here goes again!!