This evening I went out to our backyard garage (in Ainslie near Corroboree Park) at 7.40 pm when it was nearly dark to get a hammer, had just shut the door when a dark shape flew very close overhead. I checked behind the garage and found
a raptor- to my eye a sparrowhawk - perched on the powerline pole structure. It stayed about a minute before flying off, apparently to nearby trees (Lewis Street/Hargraves Cres).
10-15 minutes later, the nightly exodus of flying foxes from Commonwealth Park began to stream silently over us (we are in their direct flight path). Could the hawk have been preparing an ambush? I would have thought 7.50-7.55 pm is too
dark?
Are there records of sparrowhawks taking flying foxes? (too large a prey item?)
Robin
