Updated 30th January 2011

The page where some aspect of the local natural world will be featured. It may be a mammal, an insect, a bird or even a reptile, but they all have one thing in common. At one time or another, they will have been spotted in the Lansdown Rd BS6 area.

So look out for the upcoming tales of the passing peregrine, rodents, exotic plants and migrant birds.

This cold winter saw the Redwings back in large flocks around Redland. plus the lack of leaves on the railway trees has made it easi er to see the cute long tailed tits. But scroll don to see the 'Garden Executioner' - The Sparrowhawk.

Sparrowhawk - male

This, once scarce, woodland hawk lives a risky and reckless life.
They are the Garden's Executioners, feeding on small birds and nothing else. The male, with his orange brown barred front, preys on finches, tits and sparrows. Whilst the bigger female, identified by her grey bars, will take on thrushes and pigeons too.

They tend to live in the same location for long periods of time, possibly mapping it's areas.

Why are Sparrowhawks mentioned here?
Well, despite our small limited gardens, there is at least one resident pair of Sparrowhawks on Lansdown Rd. This is mainly thanks to one resident who has created a little bird heaven. The twitterings of sparrows and starlings emanating from a cluster of hedges and shrubs, caused a neighbour to ask if there was an aviary next door.



Not only is it a perfect home for the chattering classes of small birds, it is also perfect ambush country for Sparrowhawks. These hunters carefully hide, known even to use washing on the line, and stay just watching the neighbourhood.

Hover over to see it closer

Female sparrowhawk

Their eyes are adapted to pick out the smallest details. Once their prey is selected, and distance judged it takes flight. Gravity and a few flaps send it hurtling at high speed at the target.
However, small birds are not stupid and they also have quick reactions and are rarely completely surprised. The Sparrowhawk must prevent escape to prevail.

It is this focus beyond all distraction which is a high risk tactic for the hawk, often it leads to their demise, as they hit windows or oncoming vehicles.
But it only takes a slight brush with it's talon to cause mortal damage and the pursuit is over.

It is a beautiful, daring hunter and may be seen streaking along the gardens between Brighton Rd and Lansdown Rd, even once dashing low along Kensington Rd. Keep your eyes peeled for these deadly neighbours...

For more information about Sparrowhawks on the BBC website click here References:

The Secret Life of Garden Birds
Dominic Couzens

RSPB Birds of Britain and Europe
Rob Hume
(DK)

and a grateful thank you to
Arthur Lanyon for his Lansdown Sparrowhawk photographs

Voted the second most popular mammal in the UK (after the dolphin!).

Did you know Bristol's fox population is the most intensively studied in the world?
Foxes had always been seen around the open spaces such as the Downs or the Avon Gorge, but became more common in suburban gardens after WWII and were quite common by the 1960s.

It is believed there are on average, 1.82 fox families per sq km of Bristol. Our area has it's own fox family nestled down by the railway line. They may be seen out foraging along the nearby roads, including Brighton and Lansdown Rd, or trotting along the railway wall.

Young fox on the railway

Fox nicknamed 'Rasha'

Foxes only breed once a year (starting from 10 months) around New Year.
This is their most vocal time with blood chilling screams and triple barks. However, it is a really short season (only about 3 days) for vixens.
According to the studies, all cubs in Bristol are born between 12th - 18th March.

The fox family group may contain one or more adult vixens (only one will produce cubs). The cubs will be reared just about anywhere, inside or outside buildings - under them or over them. It is not unsual for them to live and breed under the floorboards of an occupied house!

The cubs will first emerge from April when they are about 4 weeks old. At this stage they are still chocolate brown but patches of red become more visible around the face and front. They grow rapidly, accompanying the adults to begin with but by August they are foraging independently. Come September, it is difficult to distinguish cubs from parents with their thick reddish fur and bushy tail.

Adult fox in mid moult

Sleeping fox

Adult foxes loose their winter coats in spring and will look very scruffy until mid August. Mange which arrived with the Bristol foxes in 1994 has reduced the fox population dramatically. The infected fox will spend a great deal of time scratching and gnawing at their limbs and tail.
However, a thin tail may just be part of the normal moult.

Though carnivores, they will eat anything! Adapting their diet to their local circumstances. Bristol foxes, compared with London ones, eat less fruit and fewer birds (wild and pet), they much prefer scavenged food. Though, it has been known for foxes to kill cats, it is very, very rare.They tend to ignore each other, unfortunately, the same cannot be said of other domestic pets, such as rabbits or guinea pigs.

Dusk is the best time to see foxes, look along the railway line or along the local streets like Hampton Park, Warwick Rd, Ashgrove Rd. During the day they tend to sleep hidden under foliage, sometimes in the gardens of Brighton Rd.
One young fox was often seen sleeping on the railway track, just moving at the last moment when the train came.

Rasha, the fox yawning

Hover over the fox on the line

For more local fox photos, see John McAllister's www.w3a2z.net/Rasha/ or for local views of Bristol, his www.panavista.eu/

References:

Urban Foxes
Stephen Harries and Phil Baker
(Whittet Books)

Bristol's Urban Ecology
Stephen Harries and Tom Wollard
(Bristol Naturalist Society)

www.thefoxwebsite.org
website

and a grateful thank you to
John McAllister and the other generous neighbourhood photographers

Foxes have the largest distribution of any wild land mammal in the world
Their sight is not as good as their sense of smell or hearing. Rather than seeing the world, foxes smell it and hear it
In Britain, an average fox is only a little bigger than a pet cat
The Bristol study has revealed that each night there is an estimated minimum of 150 times as much food available as is required by the urban foxes.	It makes no difference to their survival, if you feed them or not, in some cases the foxes go from one generous household to the next.
Their favourites tidbits are sultanas, dog food, meat scraps and eggs.	Adult foxes can pass through holes as small as 4 inches x 4 inches (10cm) and can jump up 6 foot (around 2m)
Foxes can live up to 14 years but those studied, in the wild, rarely survive a couple of years	Foxes DO NOT make good pets, they are very smelly and highly destructive