22/03/19 - Return of the hawk

Last week local wildlife photographer Terry Weston sent us images of a Sparrowhawk taken by Dave Wilson in his garden in Dunnington. Not only are they great photographs, but they have also revealed the history of the bird after we were able to partly read the metal BTO ring. 

After doing some research we found out this bird is DE60850, a young male ringed on the 8^th August 2013 at the NNR base at Bank Island - but the story doesn’t end there - this was actually one of two rehabilitated Sparrowhawks ringed and released at the NNR base that day by the fantastic Jean Thorpe.

The bird in question having been found on Bootham Stray allotments in York, with a damaged wing. After a few days of expert care by Jean it was back out in the wild - great to hear that five and a half years later it’s still going strong and looking in great condition, and still nearby in the local area. Another great job by Jean – and thanks to Terry and Dave for sharing the images and helping us to trace the bird.