How to photograph wild sparrowhawks
I thoroughly enjoyed my time at ‘Capturing Wild Yorkshire’ Wildlife Photography Hides today. I used “Charlie’s Hide” which is in a meadow with a hedgerow along one side. Mick has placed a number of appropriate perches and props in front of the hide.
The highlight for me was finally getting a frame full of wild male sparrowhawk. He arrived at the bird feeders causing chaos amongst the songbirds. I only had a few seconds to get a shot of him before he took off again chasing his prey down the hedgerows.
My best photo of a Sparrowhawk so far, you can tell that this is a male from the distinctive grey-blue plumage on it’s back.
Option one: use a hide with bird feeders to attract prey species
This is arguably the best way to capture a photo of a sparrowhawk:
Set up a hide where you can sit concealed for several hours at a time, or hire one that already gets visits from sparrowhawks as I did.
Place bird feeders in front of the hide with natural-looking perches (e.g. dead branches and wood) around them. Make sure the background is far enough away to be blurred in the photo giving a pleasing separation between the subject and the backdrop.
Wait for smaller birds to start frequenting the bird feeders, making sure they are kept topped up and providing a source of fresh drinking water for the birds to encourage more to visit the area. These are the natural prey of sparrowhawks, so in time all the bird activity in the area will get their attention.
Sit patiently and wait in the hide with your camera; using a telephoto lens (300mm or longer) will mean the perches can be placed further away from the hide, yielding better results. You can also get a friend to ‘walk you in’ to the hide; this tricks any birds watching as when your friend leaves, the birds think all humans have left the area.
Use a fast shutter speed, at least 1/1000th of a second, with your aperture wide open (the lowest number available - which varies depending on the lens in use) and ISO on auto. This will allow you to capture the motion if a sparrowhawk does arrive. Have your camera turned on a ready with the right settings in place. I tend to keep an eye on the ISO and if the bird sits still for long enough for you to get your safety shots and think about it, then drop the shutter speed down a bit to bring the ISO down (it will automatically compensate). I wouldn’t go lower than 1/200th of a second.
Photograph at times when the light is good. This might be a bit obvious, but if you’re going to spend hours in a hide, you may as well do so at times that will yield the best results. The soft light on overcast days is a personal favourite of mine, as well as shooting during golden hour at sunrise or sunset.
Here are some other photos that I captured in this hide.
Option two: put out a bait
The hawk-eyed amongst you (excuse the terrible pun) will have noticed more photos of a Sparrowhawk in that batch. This one feeding has brown plumage and was a juvenile female. It was plucking and feeding on a pigeon that was left out for it. This is another way to photograph Sparrowhawks; leave out a dead bird for them to spot, and sometimes they will come in to feed on it. This practice is known as baiting and is frowned upon by many wildlife photographers who view it as unethical. Many photography competitions will not allow photos where baiting was used. I have mixed feelings about it; while it was fascinating to watch, it does somehow leave you with the feeling that you cheated to get the photos. I suppose that is why I was much better pleased with the photo of the male hawk hunting naturally. If you do decide to try this, make sure you research lead toxicity for raptors, if an animal is shot with a lead bullet and fragments of that remain in the carcass that you put out, they will be ingested by the hawk or other bird if prey and can kill them.
Option three: walk softly and carry a long lens
I’ve previously captured photos of wild sparrowhawks without using a hide. Once at WWT Arundel Wetland Centre, I suddenly spotted one chasing birds from the feeders, and then it darted into a tree, where I managed to get a shot of it. Later I saw what I think was the same bird hunting in the reedbeds; it landed on a fence for a moment.
Option four: find a nest site
This might be more easily said than done! However, if you do find where some hawks are nesting, please be careful not to get too close or disturb them. Another photographer told me that he believed sparrowhawks were nesting at a local pond. I eventually found the nest high in an ash tree above a busy public footpath. This gave me shots of the nest, and I also spotted the fledgling perching and flying around at ground level over the top of the pond.
