A female Sparrowhawk has been terrorising the garden for the last week. We have  had a nice flock of House Sparrows, breeding Collared Doves and visits from Goldfinches, the odd Greenfinch and of course Blackbirds in the garden.  Then the other day Jenny told me of a Sparrowhawk, a female who had sat on the feeding log having missed her intended prey. The garden, consequently for the last few days has been extremely quiet. The birds are wary and keeping a very low profile. Frankly, I didn't expect to see the Sparrowhawk again but then at around 1230 after coming in from a bout of grocery shopping, there she was!  Skulking and half hidden under the cotoneaster bush. I "pinged" her from the kitchen  and quickly rushed for the camera.  It's never easy to get any kind of photo through a double glazed window with all the reflection that goes on, but I snapped a few shots off for the record.  I was then hoping that I might be able to open the window and get better picture but wanted afew in the bag first.  But no, she had seen me and she left like a rocket through the gap at the bottom of the garden. It was a great sight to see her  manoeuvre between the leaves and branches. Sparrowhawks are ambush hunters flying quickly between the branches to catch their unsuspecting prey. I know it is unpleasant to some but they are a big part of the ecology in and around gardens. No different of course to us eating meat,  She has to feed  and I hope that when she next  does I am here to witness it and it is in my garden!  She certainly is visiting me a little more than usual. This bird is a female, she is brown and bigger than the more grey coloured male. First shot from the kitchen and then the next one from the living room and through patio window glass.