Nature’s Corner – Cornel Nature Garden Hawks

Early December, a lone Clematis flower had just appeared on the large climbing Montana in the garden that has become a magnet each winter’s evening for a large gang of House Sparrows to roost. We love to watch these little fellas hurtling at great speed into the dense foliage either to try and get a prime spot on one of the tangled stems within, or to hastily avoid being caught by one of the Sparrowhawks that frequent the local gardens; to listen to them squabbling and chirruping as they settle down each evening is a real treat.

This large Clematis climbs up a rope that is tied to a tall post and stands about 15 feet high, Ideal it would seem to protect sleeping Sparrows, but to witness the whole thing swaying about during strong winds and imagine that these guys are in there hanging on for dear life is absolutely amazing. Of course, as the winter progresses and the leaves fall the bare Clematis holds little protection, so it does make you wonder where they then go to roost.

A few evenings ago, I observed a female Sparrowhawk flying in and swirling around the bush with unimaginable agility and intent, and although in the past I have seen these predators flying at speed and disappearing into a hedge in hot pursuit of a meal, in this case, she perched on the outside as if to try and catch one of the arrivals on entry, but after some five minutes or so she gave up and flew elsewhere.

I can remember a time some years ago, when we kept Canaries in a garden aviary with a good-sized external flight, it was quite common to see the Sparrowhawks showing a worrying interest in the birds.

On one occasion, a beautiful male Sparrowhawk came in very close to the flight area, flying frantically just in front of the outside of the wire mesh and mirroring the panicked flight of one of the Canaries. This was happening at great speed, and although, not nice to witness as the whole aviary was basically being terrorised, it was a relief when a somewhat disappointed Hawk flew away with empty talons.

Sparrowhawks are common and such regular visitors to our gardens largely due to the smaller birds frequenting feeders but are hardly ever noticed due to their amazing stealth and speed. They can enter a garden and be out in a split second even if they make a kill in the process, they can also sit still for long periods watching whilst easily blending into the surroundings.

The female, a pigeon sized bird is brown in colour with stunning barring from chest to belly whereas the smaller handsome male is a blue grey colour about the size of a Collared Dove again with striking barring on the chest and large orange eyes which are their stock in trade. They will undoubtably nest locally, quite often using an old crow’s nest in woodland.

Nature can seem cruel, but it’s probably a sign of a healthy local small bird population if these guys are about. It’s worth noting that birds do need good cover in the form of tall hedging or small dense trees and shrubs to feel safe especially near feeders. It’s also a must to keep the feeders going all year round, they are a lifeline to all the garden birds during winter to help fend off the cold, and to feed the youngsters in Spring and Summer, it may also make the occasional Sparrowhawk visit worthwhile too..

Cyng/Cllr David Gwyn Williams

On December 15th I had a planned meeting with the Chief Executive of DCC, Graham Boase. We had a very productive chat for about an hour, and he took on board a number of concerns that I had regarding several issues; including some which I consider to be very unfair treatment of the people of Dyserth by some DCC personnel.

Graham listened to all these concerns, and while we also discussed other more general matters, he promised to look into the issues I raised concerning Dyserth.

Yesterday I received a copy e mail from him that was addressed to Emlyn Jones who is Head of Services for Highways, Planning and Public Protection, in which he asked Emlyn to contact me directly to address the following matters:

1. To discuss revised plans for completion of traffic flow measures for Dyserth HighStreet after extra funding has now been allocated following pressure from myself and Dyserth Community Council.

2. To look again at the possibility of a roundabout on the A547 at Thorncliffe crossroads; in order to tackle the increasingly dangerous and chaotic traffic situation here, especially at peak times

3. To review the provision of a much larger sign at Mia Hall junction on the A5151, prohibiting HGVs from using Pant Erwyn road and often getting stuck under the low bridge on Allt y Graig.

Graham admitted to me that none of our requests as a community were at all unreasonable, and he has fulfilled his promise to get them looked into from a new perspective. I am confident that the anticipated private discussion of these matters with Emlyn Jones will instigate a new and fresh approach and resolve some if not all of these long-standing issues.

I would like to thank Katie and Liam for all their hard work over the years in producing our Dyserth Times. The dedication and effort required to get this excellent magazine produced every two months is indeed considerable and deserving of the sincere thanks and appreciation of so many regular readers.

I know that like myself, many will also want to wish the new editor, Peter Robinson, every success in taking over this time consuming but most important role for the benefit of our community.

David G. Williams