|
At 9 am today I saw a Collared Sparrowhawk perched on the outer branches of
a next-door neighbour's sprawling apple tree. The size indicated a female, and I
was surprised by the overall palour of the plumage. I could scarcely discern the
barring on its underparts, and the rest of it appeared remarkably
pale.
I was within ten metres of it very (bright sunlight) and I moved
through about 45 degrees to see if the new perspective would make the bird
appear darker, but it didn't. Also, there was a fellow hammering at a
paling fence 15 metres away but it remained still. I watched for five minutes
then had to leave.
At a guesstimate, reckon I've seen at least two Collared Sparrowhawks a
year from/on the Holt block since the early 1990s, and am often surprised by the
close approach they will tolerate.
John Layton
| 