Civilian Aviation

We were lucky (unlike the pigeon) to see this female sparrowhawk just outside our kitchen doors this afternoon:


Sparrowhawk kill by Nick Challoner, on Flickr


Sparrowhawk kill by Nick Challoner, on Flickr

I did have the privilege of seeing a male with a kill last year, in his stunning plumage and with deep orange eyes, but sadly he was between me and the house so no way to grab my camera.

very well caught Nick - just like the pigeon. Sometimes it looks cruel but that's nature for you.

We get sparrowhawks flying through our garden sometimes watching for an opportunity and have seen a couple of kills in our garden, tow years ago I was doing the RSPB birdwatch count and one decided to land on the fence after 15 minutes or so and hung around for 1/2 hour or so, needless to say I didn't get many more birds after that - was a nice sight though.

Looks like the paving will need a clean up though

thanks for posting it
Andy