Collared Sparrowhawk

COLLARED SPARROWHAWK Accipitercirrocephalus

I was out for a walk this morning. It was cold  and overcast but birds were all busy in the trees and around the hospital reservoir.


I arrived home to see a pile of  feathers all over the  ground next to my letterbox. I immediately blamed the local cats although, we rarely see cats wandering anymore.








On second thought, I blamed the Boo-book owl which spends most of its days sleeping in a tree next to our garden shed.

My daughter who has adopted the owl as her own, insisted that 'Orpheus would not kill anything!'


Sure!


I went inside and was met by my wife, who had photographed the whole affair.




She pointed out the culprit, standing in the long grass across the road, sparrow in its claws.


A young collared Sparrowhawk.



I had seen another of these birds amongst the timber on Monument Hill about an hour earlier.

 I have rarely seen these sparrowhawks around the neighbourhood, but today, two.

And the second bird was living up to its name.