Thought it was quiet ...

I noticed this afternoon how many birds were flocking to our bird table, and how busy they all were. It was noisy and the air was full of movement. I returned to the window an hour or so later, and noticed a distinct absence of life. A solitary magpie strutted at the end of the path.

And then I saw it. At first I thought the larger bird pecking at the seeds dropped among the stones under the berberis was a pigeon, but this was no pigeon. The sparrow-hawk had returned. I had recently been wondering when we'd see it again ...

I didn't find any wee feathers there after it flew away ...

Picture quality reflects my awkward position inside the house - didn't want to scare it away before I got a photo.