Saturday, April 07, 2007

Return of the Sparrowhawk

The Sparrowhawk has returned to try to eat the songbirds in our garden. I would resent this if it wasn't such a beautiful creature. Even Sparrowhawks gotta eat. I'm afraid the shots I got were blurry. I really needed to prop against something firm like a window ledge but I feared that if I moved too much, he or she would be off like a shot. It was trying to get a male blackbird. The blackbird was no fool and was staying inside the densest part of the hedge. You can just make out the sparrowhawk at the top of the hedge.

Inside the house, I have my aquarium all set up. I have lots of fish in there, but they're all very young yet and therefore quite small. Many times throughout the day, I can be found in that chair, mug of tea in my hand watching "fish tv" as the Man of the Place calls it. The plastic tube you can see is an air line for the treasure chest. The lid of the treasure chest is powered by air bubbles from the air tube. It still looks a bit bare, but I am hopeful that the plants in there will grow and make it look a bit more lush.

One of the bonuses of sitting in this room is that the whole place is filled with the sweetest perfume at the moment. The lemon tree on the windowsill is in bloom again.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your "fish TV" is lovely even before it has matured. You remind me of my mom,just sitting there watching them. She loved her fish. Now that they are RVing she has a fish games and always fusses about making sure her fish are fed and such.

I do hope your eggs are fertile, it would be so fun to watch them grow up

Joe said...

Good job getting the sparrowhawk photo. Your presence of mind is remarkable.

Once last summer Bobby and I were in the kitchen and suddenly sparrows were bumping against the big glass door. Bobby and I looked to see what was motivating the spastic bird behavior, and there was a big white hawk, or maybe falcon, on the patio table maybe six feet away. We both lunged for the camera, and the hawk was gone like a shot. We'll try to learn from Peggy's sang-froid...whatever that means.

Anonymous said...

who knew a hawk could look so benign? do you suppose that's part of its adaptive coloring, like the "big eyes" on some moths' wings? i agree with joe...getting that photo was a great chance, which you would have blown completely had you moved at all.

the aquarium looks GREAT!

xo, ma

Eryn said...

I love the picture of the hawk, Peggy. It's so surreal and captivating. I half expected to see a falconer in tall suede boots standing in the frame. Clarity isn't the end all be all in photography, you know.
Happy Easter!

Anonymous said...

Wow, Peggy, you were lucky to get a photo of that sparrowhawk at all! Sounds like spring is there!
Happy Easter to all