The weather has been dire today, which was disappointing because after a weekend with my family, I had the chance to get out and get some photos again. I hoped the weather would clear but it didn’t so imagine my excitement when, on the way back from a shopping trip, in the rain incidentally, and on a country road not far from Exeter, I caught sight of a Sparrowhawk, obviously with prey. It was a main road but I managed to turn around and go back to go past it again. Yes I was right and it was standing over it’s prey. There was a snag! I didn’t have my camera with me. I rushed home, still a mile away and through the traffic. At home I quickly grabbed my camera and rushed back as quick as I could. It was at leas 15 minutes before I was back and yet, there it was, now plucking it’s prey. I had no way of knowing if it had taken the bird, or was it road kill? It was a Wood Pigeon, too big to be carried off, thankfully the Hawk was forced to eat it where it lay. This is the second time this year that I have had the good fortune to watch a Sparrowhawk with prey, and both times a Wood Pigeon and each time on the road (or very close to it). I got the car as close as I could, opposite and up on the curb. The bird knew I was there but settled back to carry on plucking it’s prey, only pausing when really large vehicles roared past. Having had my 2.8 lens stolen I was forced to use my 6.5 lens which meant that in the dull conditions I was only able to get 1/200 second, hardly quick enough to capture really sharp images. From the hundreds of photos taken, I managed t get a few decent, sharp images and given the dull light and the lack of a good lens, I am relatively pleased.