Assistant Warden Toby had a close encounter with a deadly hunter, when out topping up the birdfeeders.
His brush with death came when a sparrowhawk flew between him and the bird table he was restocking.
Sparrowhawks are adapted for hunting in confined spaces, but this is normally so they can flit between trees, not assistant wardens!
Having a resident sparrowhawk is a great sign as it means there is a healthy population of smaller birds around, to support a top predator such as a sparrowhawk.
They have a range of hunting tactics. One of which is to use objects (both stationary and moving) to hide behind and then fly out and take their prey by surprise. Maybe, after all those Christmas treats, Toby made the ideal object to hide behind for this hungry sparrowhawk!
Rhian