Another Sparrowhawk

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 I had expected to be posting about something else today but yesterday was special and ~I changed my plans. It  was a miserable rainy and windy day and I had low expectations of seeing wildlife. Sitting in our conservatory we became aware of a large bird landing on a chair in the garden. We were blessed with some of the best views I have ever had of a female sparrowhawk.




I have already posted in some detail about sparrow hawks (25th Jan) so I don't want to repeat myself, but this is a female and we haven't seen a female in the garden before. There is a big difference in size between the sexes - the males are a mere 60 percent of the size of the females. Males feed on small birds such as blue tits (which is why he visits our bird feeder) whereas females feed on larger birds such as starlings and thrushes.
To add to the excitement , at the same time that the sparrowhawk was there we had a stoat and a red squirrel in the garden as well. At one stage the sparrowhawk made a half hearted attempt to dive bomb the squirrel! The bird stayed around for about an hour. All photographs were taken through the double glazed windows as I was fearful of disturbing her.

Diary Notes.
Overnight trail cameras reveal a couple of badgers heading South between 2200hrs and 2300hrs.
In case anyone is interested , the following wildlife related books have kept me entertained since Christmas.
The Hidden World Of The Fox (Adele Brand)
The Hidden Life Off Trees (Peter Wohlleben) - a fabulous book.
Raptors - A Journey Through Birds (James McDonald Lockhart)



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