Sperwer Accipiter nisus op kikkervangst

On 23 April 2011, a first-year male Sparrowhawk tried to capture Marsh Frogs Pelophylax klepton esculentus in the northern Netherlands. From a nearby tree the bird flew straight at the frogs in the waterline (20-25 m away). Upon reaching the frogs, he held back and tried to capture a frog by clumsily hovering with dangling legs. None of the three catching attempts in half an hour were successful. Frogs as prey of Sparrowhawks are not mentioned in extensive prey lists from Denmark, Germany, Scotland, Switzerland and The Netherlands. Only Uttendorfer (1952) mentions frogs as occasional prey, but without giving any substantiation.