Wood pigeon explosion (part of)

This scattering of feathers, over an area at least 1.5 x 2 m, was all that was left of a Wood Pigeon this morning. It suggests that a Goshawk has been hunting in the area of the nature reserve recently - nice to think they are still around. One study in nearby Oxfordshire some years ago showed that Wood Pigeons made up over 40% of the prey of Goshawks outside the breeding season. They hit their prey in mid air with such force that these scatterings of feathers are all that is left to mark the incident. Of course, they can take pheasants, rabbits and many other medium sized birds and mammals. One hopes that farmers in the area will be pleased to see this top predator surviving and reducing numbers of their main crop thief, the Wood Pigeon, but I've no doubt they will be far more concerned about the odd pheasant taken.