Oh, how sad. We know we must accept nature in the raw, but I've just had a Sparrowhawk bring down a Collared Dove outside the living room window.
I've had my eye on this dove for quite a few days. It's been in the back garden with parent birds, eating, flying, but obviously not 'quite right' in some way I haven't been able to fathom.
I was in the living room as two birds flew towards the window, the dove banged into it and with its wings outspread I could see by the feather markings that what was chasing it was a Sparrowhawk. The dove fell and the hawk just dropped down and clamped its claws round it.
Geoff came into the room as he'd heard the bang and said let's try to chase it away, so we went and opened the conservatory door (it was right outside). The hawk was so defiant it just stayed there - literally a foot or so from us! It re-shuffled its claws to get a better grip and then just flew off holding the poor struggling dove.
We only rarely see a Sparrowhawk - this is literally only the third time in about 10 years, so how on earth had its senses alerted it to a vulnerable dove in an ordinary back garden.
Looking at it coldly - nature is amazing, but looking at it from a Brenda Midgley point of view, it's just distressing.
I need to go away and talk to myself - get my perspective back on track!.....
Please someone put a thread on the forum to tell us something cheerful!
