Female Blackbird

It is tough when you are a ground feeder and the starlings poo on you from above. It is also tough when something happens or appears and you haven't got your camera to hand. Poo and poo again.

This morning I took part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch and thought is would be best to leave the camera upstairs. It could, I thought, distract me from the count. What a mistake! 40 minutes in and all the birds disappeared - eerie silence - and then she arrived: the sparrowhawk! She strutted about on my garage roof as if she was the queen of everything. What a poser! She saw me and kept checking to see if I was still looking. A beautiful bird, with the brightest eyes imaginable, but what was going through her head?

a) Ha ha ha she hasn't got that camera
b) I rule the roost
c) I wonder if there is a male sparrowhawk in the vicinity?
d) Has she gone yet? I want to ransack the bush and get the birds out.
e) Have you got a firm I.D? I live in the area and I am entitled to be in the count.

I spotted the hawk in the hedge a short while back and hadn't expected to see it again, but now we have had at least two visits, I expect she will be back. I fear for the robin and the pied wagtail because I only have one of each, but judging by her size, I think she is looking for something a bit bigger.

These are the birds included in my count:

Blackbird: 4
Blue tit: 3
House sparrow: 5
Robin: 1
Starling: 11
Jackdaw: 1
Goldcrest: 1
Pied Wagtail: 1
Sparrowhawk: 1