Wild Wanderings
Diary 2018 Wed January 10th 2018
Hungry Hawk
Spent most of the morning filling in the holes and damage caused by our local Badgers who seem to delight in digging up my paddock. I know the temptation must hard for them to resist especially at this time of the year. It’s a bitty boggy over there and the earthworms are many. But it tends to look a mess. You must keep flattening it out to enable it to be mown easily in the spring. Ah well a bit of exercise never hurts I suppose.
After completing the filling and flattening for another day, and as the sun was shining, and the light was OK albeit a little harsh for my liking, I decided to sit awhile and see what might develop.
After I first settle down it usually takes about 20 minutes or so for the birds to return and go about their business. Sure enough today was no exception. Within half an hour there was a varied collection of small birds. Sparrows, Goldfinches, Chaffinches and Greenfinches were all flitting about. There must have been about 30 Sparrows alone when suddenly all went quiet and the birds as one disappeared. This I have now learnt usually means danger of some sort. I sat still and waited. It all seemed a bit eerie, when the cause of this rapid cessation of activity appeared.
A Sparrowhawk came in low using the Hawthorn hedge for cover. It was traveling fast and at only about two feet off the ground. It weaved back and forth over the hedge looking for any stragglers it might pounce on and continued on up into the nearest Horse Chestnut tree. It had been unsuccessful in its mission. The Hawthorn hedge is about 150 metres in length and must provide a sort of ally-way of cover for the hungry hawk. The first birds back were the Blue Tits. Bold as brass. I watched the SH with my binoculars alight the tree and swoop low to the ground and make the return journey it was breathtakingly amazing to watch. This time he was coming straight towards me. My presence seemed to be of no importance to him. From where I was sitting I was to close to get a fix on him with my camera, but as he wheeled away over the hedge I stood up and was able to get a fleeting shot of him before he moved on to his next venue for hunting. This has happened several times before to me, but it always comes as surprise and always catches me unready with my camera on the wrong setting etc. But at least the shot I got records the bird for that day. Although I haven’t seen him be successful yet, I often find the evidence of his success, usually a little heap of feathers. Apparently, their success rate is only about 10%. It is an amazing moment to witness.
Always exhilarating.
‘till tomorrow
