Sparrowhawk 1 - Collared Dove 0 = me late for work.

The post title refers to the result of an encounter between a juvenile female Sparrowhawk and a Collared Dove in the garden this morning. I was just about to set off for work when I noticed the action so I grabbed the camera and managed to get a few shots through the window. The light was terrible as it was raining and really dull, nearer half light, so I had to use the lens wide open and really up the ISO. Not good when you only shoot in jpeg like me.

The game was well and truly over for the Collared Dove before I took the first shot as the Sparrowhawk had already eaten its head by then. I watched it feed for about 15 minutes before it flew up onto the hedge with the remains and then it carried them off into the trees across the road. The rather grainy photos that follow tell some of the story for themselves. A cracking bird doing what nature intended.