The new kid on the block

I spent a lot of time last winter watching the juvenile male sparrowhawk in the garden so it is interesting to compare the behaviour of the new bird.  He is less hyperactive and seems to be a more patient and calm individual.

He takes little notice of the small birds trapped in the gooseberry bushes and I have not seen him try to flush them out or chase in after them, as last year's bird often did.  Instead he concentrates on incoming birds approaching the feeder. I haven't yet seen him make a kill but have found signs of them in the garden.

When the sparrowhawk flies away it takes only 10 seconds or so for the tits, finches and sparrows in the gooseberries to start using the feeder again, so somehow they can immediately tell the danger has passed.  One thing I don't remember seeing before is a wood pigeon feeding below the sparrowhawk's perch.  Each knew the other was there but the pigeon didn't feel threatened as it is larger (it weighs 500g to the sparrowhawk's 150g).  A female sparrowhawk would be a different story.

This sparrowhawk also stakes out the feeders outside the kitchen window.  He sits in a branch above the feeders where I can't take a photo but if I look out of the window and can see no birds I know he is around somewhere.