Garden Patrol

This big fella dropped into our garden today and seemed content to stay for a while.
Must admit that it’s the first time I have seen a sparrowhawk up close like this, and apparently happy enough to stay around for a few minutes and allow itself to be photographed.
Now we have plenty of the little fellas, ordinary hedgerow sparrows and that could well be the reason why the big fella felt like calling. My reference book tells me that sparrowhawks are so-named because 98 % of their diet consists of other birds, our little sparrows, no doubt.   Although we have seen mice and frogs in the garden, and there are other small birds as well.
They say that male sparrowhawks will go for birds up to the size of thrushes, while female sparrowhawks will take on pigeons.
Our visitor today disappeared momentarily and out of the corner of my eye I caught movement in a corner of the garden, hidden behind shrubbery.  Then it re-appeared again and sat on the lawn full of confidence.  Maybe even with tummy full having captured a bird in the corner of the garden.
We had to stop feeding the birds last year because the seed they left behind was attracting both squirrels and rats.  This year we have resisted feeding them.

But maybe there is something far more predatory lurking, in the shape of our big fella.