Face to face with a killer

I was standing at the open window, photographing birds on the feeders, when this sparrowhawk landed less than 3m in front of me.  I heard its wings approaching but there were no alarm cells as the other birds scattered.  It is a female, noticeably bigger than the juvenile male which has been staking out the feeder in the kitchen garden, but also has juvenile plumage.  I had a 300mm prime lens (420mm equivalent) so I couldn't zoom out to get the whole bird in the frame and I got only these two shots.  I was hidden from view but she heard the click of the camera and was gone in a flash.

That in itself was worth knowing as I have been photographing the other bird through the double glazing.  I now know it won't be worth trying with the window open.  I'll just have to keep the glass clean.

It is interesting to compare the two birds.  Here they are side by side, the male on the left.  His photo was taken in deep shade, hers in sunshine.