I had this stunning bird visit my garden this morning... a male Sparrowhawk.
Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus).
I first spotted him on top of one of the feeding stations... and watched as he had a good look around.
I took a chance to grab my camera but he took flight... I thought I had missed the chance of a shot.
He must have only been on the fence behind the bird table because he was soon back...
...this time perched on the water bowl.
He was giving all my garden feeders the once over...
A beautiful bird to see on my bird feeders...except he feeds on...... birds!
Linking to Our World Tuesday and Wild Bird Wednesday
41 comments:
Beautiful photos of the hawk!
Greetings, RW & SK
A cracking bird to have visiting your garden Andrew. It looks like it might have been weighing up it's prospects for a return visit!!...[;o)
he is gorgeous, excellent photos of him to. we have to think of him that he is like us. we feed on cows and sheep and pigs and birds ourselves. I hope he doesn't get any of your sweet robins.
Yes, he feeds on birds and other small animals and insects ... that is how nature keeps populations under control ... So, that's a good thing, right? If man didn't get involved there would be balance, but that is probably something we will never see again.
This Sparrow Hawk looks like our Sharp Shin Hawk ... a beautiful bird and typical Accipiter. Over here people try to call the Kestral A Sparrow Hawk ... Hmmmmm, gets very confusing. Great shots, Andrew :)
Andrea @ From The Sol
HI Andrew What a wonderful surprise to arrive at your feeders and to get those wonderful shots. Brilliant. You didn't tell us the name or where to get that feeder from yesterday!!!
What a wonderful visitor you had. It's a gorgeous bird.
Wow!!!.. Great captures.. Congrats..
Oh what a beautiful bird and you've captured it so well too.
Beauty Andrew, it is a beauty.
beautiful! just saw findlay ringing one of these the other day on his blog. :)
Wonderful photos, Andrew, but yes, he was checking your yard for sparrows and other small birds, and no hiding place would have worked for the little ones after that hawk-eyed inspection.
K
What an opportunity to get these great shots at close range! I bet the garden went very quiet while he was around.He certainly is a very handsome fellow.
Beautiful guy, but I'm glad he's not after my feeder regulars!
Absolutely stunning photography of the sparrow hawk ~ makes me want to get a feeder ~ thanks, carol xx
uh-oh - yes smorgasbord opportunity for a sparrow hawk. That could really spell 'the cat amongst the pigeons' territory. Don't know quite how you deal with this; it is so beautiful in his own right, let's hope the SH doesn't stop by too often I guess.
its a bit of a shock when you spot a rare shot like this and no camera to hand, great photos.
peter
Wow, awesome shots of the Sparrowhawk!
Superb shots, of one of my favourite birds. Always exciting to see in the garden.
What an amazing bird! And how lucky you were to manage to get your camera on time!
Great series Andrew..... I know the adrenalin rush that you get when the camera is fumbled and the shot may be lost. However this male was confiding, lets hope he returns
That must have been an exciting sight to see in the garden. Good job your camera wasn't too far away.
What fabulous pictures of this sparrow hawk. So much detail….plus it is like the viewer is looking straight into his needy eyes. He is definitely looking around at everything, So glad he came bcd for you to get these shots,
Fantastic shots of the hawks.
That is a beautiful bird. I've never seen one even in pictures. You caught his colors and details perfect!
A handsome bird and terrific shots...but, it could be bad news for the birds! I had a hawk (much bigger) take a blue jay from a feeder last week.
Stunning shots of this handsome bird.
Great close-up photos of the Sparrowhawk - it will be interesting if it returns!
Amazing pictures, I'm always enchanted by your pictures and I'm also a huge fan of your videos!You are a talented artist, thanks for sharing!
Léia
A raptor in your yard is always a special day. It's not often that a bird of prey permits this kind of photographic opportunity.
Gorgeous!!! What a thrill that would've been for me. You live right!!
Bet you we really excited when you spotted him. From Findlay
Great visit!!!
What a thrilling encounter for you Andrew!
He's a handsome bird and I really like the capture of the eye in the first shot.
The photo of your Grandson below is adorable. :)
Beautiful photos, maby he looks for a new hunting ground.
Oh dear, very nice to see but not ideal for the bird feeder!
Andrew wonderful.
He's a regal and handsome fellow -- but (as you say) scary.... Apparently there were no encounters at the feeder? When we had our house in Oregon, we used occasionally to get a kestral hawk -- he was cute, but I always wanted so badly to chase him away. We don't want to fill the feeders just to provide easy hunting grounds.
Great post, nice to study details!
Awesome! How fortunate for you! These are fantastic photos! Such a handsome raptor.
Amazing shots of the bird.
What a beauty and how fortunate you were to get these grand captures! WOW!!!
Post a Comment