Sparrowhawk Raider

This Sparrowhawk has been raiding our garden so frequently today that the small birds hardly dare emerge from the deepest foliage.  The peanut dispensers are full but deserted, there's piles of best quality grain out, but there are no customers.

We've seen him a couple of times over the last few weeks, and he's been around enough to make the birds extremely jumpy, but today has seen a series of attacks.  To make matters worse, when all the birds escape he sits for a few minutes on a point of vantage, as if to reduce them to a state of nervous terror.  The first attack we witnessed this morning was at half-past eight, after which he took a rest on Phoebe's head - Phoebe's the statue.

After his second attack, he perched on the red deer antlers that are above the bird table.  They're there for the small birds' convenience, not for him to pose on, puffing out his breast feathers and looking angry.

Ormsaigbeg isn't the only place to be under the Sparrowhawk cosh.  There are reports that the small birds are in a state of terror on the Old Golf Course.  Worse, we haven't seen Blondie for some time - has anyone any news of her?