Breakfast-time:
There's a thud at the patio window. Two collared
doves have been chasing each other around the
bird feeders and one has hit the window leaving a whitish
powdery impression of breast and wings. A collared dove
equivalent of a sand angel.
I hope the outspread wings and soft breast feathers cushioned
it in the impact. If flew off so presumably it was OK.
Cresty the Sparrowhawk
A
regular visitor to the bird table is a sparrowhawk,
which yesterday came at 8.30 a.m. and again later in the
day (& no doubt it has been dropping in regularly
when we haven't been around to see it).
It has rusty patches on the sides of it's breast so we
assume it's a male, possibly a young male.
It has another distinguishing feature; a little stub
of feathers sticking up in the middle of its head, something
you don't see in the bird books, so we know this is the
same individual returning again and again.
It
sits on the bird feeder and looks down into the corner
of the patio and we've twice seen it hop down onto the
little bed between patio and hedge and search about.
What is it looking for?
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