It was over a year ago that I last saw a sparrowhawk but it came back last night, sitting atop a nearby hawthorn and casting its eyes around the surrounding gardens:

After observing it through binoculars I crept upstairs and got my camera out, fixing the 70-300mm lens. Fortunately the bathroom windows had been left open so I didn’t have to take any actions which might have disturbed the bird. From my vantage point, the hawk was slightly obscured but I managed to capture the shot above, where you can see its beady eye peeking out through the foliage. And then…

Off it flew, too fast for me to capture sharply but I was glad to have the opportunity to photograph it at all. Oh for a longer lens to expose more detail but these will do to capture the memory, including the warm “Golden Hour” light of the setting sun washing over the scene.