Merlin and Sparrowhawk encounters

This is a tale of two random chance encounters with birds of prey, one a hawk, one a falcon, whilst out driving in the Cornish countryside. Both within a half mile of each other. Though the events were months apart. Whilst I have only been in Cornwall a short while 4 months last winter and since August 2017, I have been very lucky to see a wide variety of wildlife it does seem that disproportionately our most memorable encounters appear to occur whilst out driving.

The first of my encounters was in early February this year.  Driving back from surfing at Polzeath beach winding my way along the narrow single Cornish hedge lined tracked roads in turning a corner I came across in faultless gliding flight centimetres above the road a Sparrowhawk. It was clearly a male down to its small size, (in this species it is the female that is the largest).

I had slowed upon coming across it, making sure to stay a discreet distance away, the benefits of no traffic. The Sparrowhawk, a soft chestnut brown flew so close to the road it seemed that it was almost touching it as it wound its way along the lane, maneuvering around each corner at a fair pace maintaining a seemingly constant height above the ground. Concentrating so much in its hunting, that I hoped no vehicle would appear, suddenly, from the other direction around the blind single lane bend and collide with the Sparrowhawk. They have been known to be so focused on their hunting that they do come to harm sometimes due to collision with vehicles.  

Suddenly, it shot off, diving bullet like into the thick green hedge in pursuit of two small birds that had appeared.

Flying out of my sight I did not see who won this battle of survival.  It isn’t always the Sparrowhawk who wins. Sparrowhawks are easy to see, the birds will issue warning calls when one is in the proximity and, therefore, it is not foregone conclusion that the Sparrowhawk obtains its prey. It is known that approximately only one in ten ends in capture of prey by the hawk. By the time the Sparrowhawk’s hunt along the hedgerow had concluded I must have followed it for near on half a mile if not more.

My encounter with a Merlin, occurred more recently, 23^rd October 2017 to be precise, a week after my starling murmuration sighting, (see previous blog post). Again, winding my way along the narrow Cornish lanes, the day turning to twilight, the yellowy sun tinted clouds hanging low in the air, when a little ahead to my right, sitting on a farm gate post was the unmistakable sight of a Merlin.

I have never seen a Merlin before, but I knew as soon as I saw it what it was. Further research told me it was a male Merlin, though I did not know this at the time. I drove slowly past, slow enough to observe but not to startle.  It flew a little further on up the road

perching again on a field gate. It did not appear perturbed by my presence, and, owing to no traffic I stopped a while, watching as it sat nonchalantly looking out across the field, though I believe with an eye on my whereabouts and movements too.

It was so still and so close that I could see every detail of him, its grey head with its beady black eye topped by a yellow brow, the beautiful slate blue colouring of its back and its orange tinted, streaked black breast with its black tipped square tail and yellow legs.


Stopping for a minute or so the Merlin then took flight, dipping close to the ground, out and across the field, possibly in pursuit of prey. I’ve not been along that road since and at some point, this winter I’ll return to see if I can be lucky enough to once again encounter it the Merlin.  

On writing this post, I now come to realise a probable reason as to why I have been so fortunate in my wildlife encounters along the rural Cornish roads.  The answer I believe, taking away the fact, that the male Merlin I saw is very likely a migrant to this land in winter, is that it is no accident I believe, that both sightings occurred in the winter. When most visitors have left leaving the narrow lanes of Cornwall relatively empty.  It is the quietness of these rural lanes, the limited traffic and noise, the fact that no car can speed through these lanes and the tall thick hedges providing immediate haven from humans and predators alike, that wildlife feel at ease to continue as they otherwise would with very limited human disturbance.


Images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons