Sparrowhawk - Accipiter nisus
Canon 800mm f6.3 for 1/1250th @ iso400
A female Sparrowhawk on top of the neighbours garage, not a Sparrowhawk on woodland stump, but nevertheless it's now almost natural habitat, both the male and female spend time on the arm of the neighbours garden bench, maybe even more time than the neighbours sit on it. With the increase in bird feeders, it is only natural that the predators follow the food source and across the like of Flickr and FB there are a multitude of Sparrowhawk and fence panel or similar photographs.
This pair are not uncommon visitors to the gardens the catch is getting to photograph them !
I have caught the male on camera previously when it caught a Blackbird.
Sitting tucked into the conifer just to the right of the Sparrowhawk was one of the Collared Doves certainly a lucky escape for the Dove, and equally a moment of good timing for the Doves mate as it had wandered along this area of the garage moments previously, perhaps the Sparrowhawk had been perched up in the oak trees and the Dove was it's intended target.
A female Sparrowhawk on top of the neighbours garage, not a Sparrowhawk on woodland stump, but nevertheless it's now almost natural habitat, both the male and female spend time on the arm of the neighbours garden bench, maybe even more time than the neighbours sit on it. With the increase in bird feeders, it is only natural that the predators follow the food source and across the like of Flickr and FB there are a multitude of Sparrowhawk and fence panel or similar photographs.
This pair are not uncommon visitors to the gardens the catch is getting to photograph them !
I have caught the male on camera previously when it caught a Blackbird.
Sitting tucked into the conifer just to the right of the Sparrowhawk was one of the Collared Doves certainly a lucky escape for the Dove, and equally a moment of good timing for the Doves mate as it had wandered along this area of the garage moments previously, perhaps the Sparrowhawk had been perched up in the oak trees and the Dove was it's intended target.