Steve,
Yes you are right in your ID. It is
a juvenile collared sparrowhawk. There is just enough showing in your 2 photos of a notched tail, small beak, long toes and minimal brow ridge. All are diagnostic features
and more so on combination. Young obvious by colour pattern. Taking of a small passerine is also typical. About your last question. Well if you are asking for an estimate, that is hard. No reason not to expect it to stay for some time. GBS results show a
trend for repeat observations at particular sites (more than for the Goshawk). But that is only a small statistical difference. The species is a resident.
Philip
From: steven chivers [
Sent: Saturday, 22 June, 2019 1:13 PM
To: Canberra Birds
Subject: [canberrabirds] Raptor ID please
Hi Everyone,
This beaut young raptor startled me when I heard a fuss and saw this thing flying at me with wings and legs flailing, as it changed direction mid-air and finally found a perch in a large sheoak. Location is at the end of River Street, Oaks
Estate ACT, along the Molongolo River.
At first I had no clue, but I am currently thinking a juvenile collared sparrowhawk. As you can see in the first picture it has taken a small passerine, perhaps a thornbill (streaky face and dark bar on tail). I don’t know whether it took
this mid-flight or from a perch. It was quite small and was nervous of a raven also in the tree. I had very limited views of it but the legs are rather long, has a long tail, the pattern on the neck was more streaky than spotted, and the legs are somewhat
splayed when perched. From memory the wings were level during flight.
Does anyone know how likely this is to remain in the area? I read in my Morcombe app that collared sparrowhawks frequently take small passerines, often mid-flight, and if this young bird is moving in I’d love to start observing it try to
see that spectacular event happen!
P.S. if the images are too small I can send one at a time.
