Exploring Pigeon Valley: The Black Sparrowhawk
The riches of Pigeon Valley Nature Reserve explained by Glenwood resident and chair of the Friends of Pigeon Valley.
This is the 27th in an ongoing series that highlights the riches of Pigeon Valley, the urban nature reserve in the heart of Glenwood. The focus of this article will be on the Black Sparrowhawk.
Earlier this year I reported on the Black Sparrowhawk, the raptor whose querulous call sounds across Pigeon Valley, and promised to report on its nesting progress. There is now a ragged and gawky chick that perches on the nest, with a fiercely protective parent always somewhere close – last week, when I was just inside the fence, one came flying straight at me, turning upwards only at the last moment.
Just to make the point clear as to what the priorities are, when I was at the reservoir today, an adult flew just over my head, carrying a white bird, possibly a small chicken, that was sadly out of shape. As it happened, I later decided to visit an area across Mazisi Kunene Road that is part of the reserve but accessed from the top, to do some alien clearing. As we entered, we had a most hostile reception – another pair of Black Sparrowhawks were nesting there and protested vehemently, calling and swooping towards us until we felt we must leave.
ALSO READ: Exploring Pigeon Valley: The Spotted Ground-Thrush
There are thus two nests, not one, and they are probably about 30m apart. Such proximity would be most unusual in nature, but presumably the ready availability of food in the area means that such a high density of nests is possible.
The parents continue to feed the young even after they leave the nest, but their concern has its limits. After perhaps eight weeks of age, the parents cease the feeding and drive them away. There must be a limit to those that can congregate in a small area, and the juveniles are sent off to populate new territory.
Crispin Hemson chairs the Friends of Pigeon Valley, a group that undertakes clearing of alien plants, keeps records of bird and mammal sightings and alerts management to any problems.
The Friends have a monthly walk at 7.30am on the second Saturday of each month. Email: friendsofpigeonvalley1@gmail.com.
