The bird feeders in my garden bring me a lot of pleasure as the little birds come and go. Alongside the little birds is one spectacular raptor: the sparrowhawk! I have mixed feelings about her visits because she is very focused on the small starling flock which comes in every day to feed and their cheerful babble from the hedgerow is a great start to any day.
The sparrowhawk is an adult female. She is standing on an adult starlng which she swooped in and, at great speed, took as the starlings fed on the ground. There was no struggle, I think her prey was dead on contact.
Over the next few minutes she plucked the dead bird and then started to eat it. The film below shows this (you have been warned). Then a few minutes later she was gone taking the remains of the body with her and all that was left was a sad little patch of grey feathers and half a beak.
