One Redditor's photos showed how having a garden makes it easier to gain furry or feathered friends. An unexpected visitor — a hawk lugging prey — provided a chance to see a new creature up close for the first time.
"Biggest bird I've ever seen up close like this," wrote the original poster, who lives in the United Kingdom. While the gardener suspected the winged predator to be a red hawk, several comments declared it a female sparrowhawk.
"It was quite something seeing one up close, especially as it flew off," said the OP in the comments. However, a random home sighting may not have happened decades ago because of persecution and near extinction from agricultural pesticide use, according to Discover Wildlife.
Now, it's one of the most widespread prey birds in the country, and native vegetation helps it thrive. According to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, gardens are their ideal hunting spots since they have adapted to prowling confined spaces. Except for parts of Scotland, they're common throughout U.K. farms, gardens, and woodlands.
Commenters had an insightful discussion about sparrowhawks, mentioning how females are larger than males, can take down birds in the air, and prey on starlings. One homeowner with a starling nest on their roof mentioned a sparrowhawk getting "breakfast every day" from it, to which someone replied: "Grim but awesome!"
Seeing what one commenter dubbed a "magnificent bird" was made possible by a healthy garden, which can be welcoming to friendly wildlife from squirrels to pollinators like butterflies and ladybugs. In Scotland, one homeowner spotted another bird-loving predator that's rare to see — the pine marten. A camouflaged grasshopper in Athens, Greece, effortlessly blended in with the yard's grass.
Animal sightings aren't the only reason to consider rewilding your lawn. Plant native blooms for diverse scents and colors as well as trees for shade, and grow your own food to save on groceries. If you don't want too much grass, consider ground cover, which protects from erosion and weed production. Native plants use less water and have stronger roots, making them more resilient and less needy for maintenance than traditional lawns.
Do you live in an arid climate? Xeriscaping lets you incorporate drought-resistant plants into your existing hardscape design. May you have lots of rain. If so, collect it to nurture a rain garden, which also filters groundwater.
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