Juvenile sparrowhawk released after dramatic rescue in Northdale

A juvenile black sparrowhawk that caused a stir in a Northdale garden is back where it belongs, slicing through the skies after a brief and rather dramatic stay in care. The young raptor was spotted on the ground by homeowners, who contacted the Pietermaritzburg SPCA.From there, it was transferred to FreeMe Wildlife for assessment. Tammy Caine, FreeMe Wildlife’s raptor specialist, said the team initially suspected the bird had suffered a concussion.

This is quite a common occurrence, as sparrowhawks are pursuit hunters and chase pigeons and doves at high speeds. Sometimes they fly into windows while chasing birds, and other times they are hit by vehicles as they dash across roads in pursuit of their prey. However, the bird’s behaviour on arrival was not quite what the team expected.

“At the time, though, since the bird was quite alert and feisty on admission, it was a bit confusing, as concussion cases often present as being a bit ‘out of it’. However, the bird may only have been temporarily stunned, rendering it easy to pick up,” she said. Caine admitted the team found some humour in the situation.

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We did find the situation a bit amusing, though, as we were prepared for a severely compromised, easy-to-handle patient to arrive, but it was a handful by the time it arrived, screaming and fighting with us like everything was our fault. Despite the bird’s fighting spirit, FreeMe took no chances.

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