The Lincolnshire Bird Club

This is the first male locally I have recorded for 16 months although during 2009 a female was a regular visitor to the garden. Our new male seems to be in excellent condition with rufous barred underparts and very distinctive rufous cheeks. Its quite some time since I watched a Sparrow Hawk feeding and certainly a first from our bedroom window. The victim was a Collared Dove. The tip of the tail was kept touching the ground and seemed to be acting as a counter balance to the vigorous tares being
made to remove both feathers and flesh. This apparent pose reminded me of how Woodpeckers stiff tail is pressed against a tree trunk whilst ascending. He frequently turned completely to face another direction but the talons remained embedded
throughout. The whole process lasted about 40 minutes. I know its a somewhat macabre subject but events like this is the real way to get to know your species over and above just ticking a name in a box. Completely unexpected but very absorbing.