I have been expecting you Mr Bird

Not James Bond, but also licensed to kill.  In previous summers the sparrowhawk has caught me by surprise when he turned up on the perch in August but this time I was ready.  I rebuilt the hide inside the window to the kitchen garden a couple of weeks ago and cleaned the glass and early in the morning two days ago there he was.

I knew he was around because several times recently I have looked out of the window to see no small birds, which is very unusual.  Earlier in the summer there were also the remains of several kills a week on the lawn.

You can see he is still regrowing a few tail feathers after this year's moult and, like last year, the new feathers are steely blue/grey colour whilst the older frayed ones are brown, so I think this bird is going into his second winter.  It looks as though he has some retained some juvenile primaries (flight feathers) as well.  Although this is not the same bird as last year, the timing is almost identical, just three days earlier than last year.

He flew off to the other side of the house but half an hour later he was back on the compost bin, requiring a very oblique shot through the window.

He changes from fluffy to sleek in an instant as he tenses for a strike.

After a failed attack he was up on top of the feeder.

Yesterday morning he was back again on the compost bin for an even more oblique view so the angle through the double glazing makes for a very fuzzy photo.

The behaviour of the small birds has changed dramatically.  Previously they were emptying the feeder every day but now it goes down by less than 20mm a day.  At least I am saving on sunflower seeds.  I expect the sparrowhawk will be staking out the kitchen garden again this winter.  I'll keep you posted.