The one that got away

I hear a bird strike on the kitchen window from time to time and it is usually caused by a bird fleeing from a sparrowhawk attack.  Like all good strikers, the sparrowhawk is experienced enough to anticipate the rebound.  When I went to look this time I saw the sparrowhawk swoop down from the tree to below the window.  By standing on a chair I could see it had caught a female great spotted woodpecker.  A woodpecker is a fair-sized catch (80g) for a male sparrowhawk (150g) and it was putting up a fight.  The fight moved towards the next window so I went round to the sitting room.  As I approached the window I saw a magpie dive down to attack, perhaps hoping to steal the catch.  By the time I reached the window all three birds had gone and all that was left was a few feathers.

I couldn't be sure what had happened - at best either the woodpecker got away or the sparrowhawk escaped with its prize, or at worst the pirate stole it.  Then the next day I saw a tatty-looking female woodpecker on the feeders with a lot of missing feathers so I think this is the same bird.  It obviously escaped when the magpie attacked the sparrowhawk.

One thing is for sure, the sparrowhawk will be back.