Sparrowhawk's raid is more smash than grab

DAMAGE: The sparrowhawk missed the bird table, flying straight into the window

Left dazed by the impact

April 2011: A local man on the Isle of Mull had a peaceful Sunday afternoon was rudely interrupted by the abrupt and dramatic arrival of an uninvited guest.

David McLean, renovating his holiday properties on the Ross of Mull, had been relaxing in his sun porch, listening to the garden birds chirping and tweeting on the bird table nearby, when, in an instant, the natural peace was shattered by a loud bang, he was surrounded by shards of broken glass. Something was in his house.

'I thought I was under attack and cowered on the floor...'
‘At first I thought I was under attack and cowered on the floor,' David explains, ‘but then I spotted it, a sparrowhawk, lying dazed and confused not far from my head. It had presumably missed its target on the bird table and went right through my window.'

After contacting RSPB Scotland's Mull Office for advice, David place the injured bird of prey on a towel in an old dog cage, brought the cage into the warm in his cottage, covered it with a blanket and left the mildly concussed sparrowhawk to recover.

GOOD RECOVERY: The sparrowhawk

David continued: ‘The next morning my new house guest was flapping about, clearly on the mend. I carried the cage outside, told it sternly that it was welcome to call again but could it knock next time, and I opened the cage door. It immediately flew out and straight for the now deserted bird table. After shooing it away, it landed on a nearby rock and spent a few hours re-orientating itself, before disappearing into the woods above.'

Sparrowhawks often killed in collisions with windows
Sparrowhawks are one of the smallest birds of prey. They can reach speeds of up to 50km an hour and are often spotted darting across gardens in search of prey. Around a third of adult sparrowhawks die each year, mostly from collisions.

Dave Sexton, RSPB Scotland Officer on Mull, added: "This is a remarkable story, especially when you consider how often sparrowhawks are killed in collisions with windows. Sparrowhawks are known for their ‘smash and grab' hunting technique as they dart into bushes and hedgerows after small birds.

'But this was more smash than grab - it sounds like it was a bigger female bird and therefore more likely to break glass. As BBC Autumnwatch described it, Mull is "Raptor Island" and sparrowhawks are just one of the many birds of prey found here, alongside species such as hen harriers, golden eagles and white-tailed eagles.'