Wings on Wednesday - The One That Got Away?

The Sparrowhawk visited regularly while there was snow on the ground. There were up to twenty Blackbirds milling around every morning and they must have been easy for a bird of prey to spot from quite a distance away.

I have noticed this male Blackbird visit each day and have wondered if it was one which managed to escape the clutches of the Sparrowhawk. It certainly has a bald spot where feathers are missing. Another possibility is that it escaped the clutches of a black cat which regularly visits the garden. Either way it seems healthy enough, eats well and is able to fly.






While the snow was around I did see the Sparrowhawk make one more successful kill. That time it caught a Starling. There is a still photo HERE and a bit of video HERE. The video has two parts. Interestingly in the second part you can see the Sparrowhawk (I am informed it is a mature female) looking apprehensively upwards and at the same time you can hear a Magpie which is out of view of the camera. As raptors  are often mobbed by various corvids the Sparrowhawk decided to take it breakfast somewhere safer.

Petition to drop the NHS Reform Bill

For those UK residents who are interested and concerned about the governments real motives in the Health and Social Reform Bill going through Parliament there is an e-petition requesting the bill be dropped. At the time of writing 113,881 people have signed the petition. If you wish to add your name, you must be a UK resident, then the petition can be found HERE. A petition achieving more than 100,000 signatures has to be considered for debate in parliament. The more signatures there are the more forceful the impact.