In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:
Lovely (although that's perhaps not the right word!)
I always thought it was a great privilege to have Sparrowhawks in my garden when I lived in a house with extensive woodland behind it. They were very regular visitors but never had any long term impact on our garden bird population as there were always plenty of young birds ready to move into the territories left vacant by the Sprawk's activities.
Unfortunately, in recent years the population has been declining overall. By about 1995 it had recovered from the severe crash caused by the use of organochlorine pesticides in the 1950s and 1960s but the breeding population has since declined again by about 25% over the last ten years or so. The reasons for this are not yet clear although possibilities include a reduction in quality territories, and the disease trichomonosis which affects many small birds, particularly Greenfinches, and also Sparrowhawks themselves. Good hygiene at garden feeding stations is very important to help reduce transmission of this disease.
(Figures from British Trust for Ornithology website)
