A little time with Sparrowhawks

Well I am definitely not good at blogging considering the last blog post was in April, but it's another "A" month so I am posting something new.


Sunday had been a generally overcast day with the odd shower so I was intermittently pottering in the veg garden trying to tackle the sudden flourish of weeds after the hot spell. The usual birds were calling in the hedgerow and surrounding trees, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Robin, Wren, and Blackbird. At some point the general sweet chatter turned to agitated alarm calls and quite a commotion started. After a few minutes I could hear a very repetitive Keee-Keee-Keee-Keee-Keee from the near by woodland, so I grabbed my camera and slowly wandered into the woods. The calls were loud and clear but seeing the culprit was rather challenging. I tucked myself up by a tree and waited. It wasn't long before I could see not one but three Sparrowhawks, two juvenile birds and an adult practising their aerobatic skills in the tree tops.

Watching them was one thing but getting a photo was most challenging, the light was poor and a persistent breeze blowing branches around made a clear view near impossible.

But with a little patience and luck a few good views appeared.

Having watched the family practising their arial prowess in the canopy it was amazing to have one perch above my head.