Wildlife drama

So this is a slightly different entry - not just 'an image' but blips of a whole drama I witnessed in the reserve this morning.  First off I heard a male blackbird making an extraordinary racket and turned to see two females listening intently in a bush right next to me (first Extra).  Next I noticed the male sparrowhawk very high up in the largest willow on the reserve.  I took a few shots and was trying to get a bit closer (no, not by climbing the tree hehe!) when a crow tried mobbing the hawk, which promptly moved to the next door alder.  From there a magpie thought it would do the same as the crow, but rather shockingly got chased off and very, very nearly caught by the tail and eaten!  As soon as that happened  and the hawk had moved right off, a knob on the bark of the alder, suddenly began to move and turned into a squirrel (second Extra) who then began calmly eating his breakfast.  Wonderful!

I saw this male a week or two ago, then and today near his last year's nesting site.  Wouldn't it be lovely if they nested here again this year.

Afterwards I went up to the butterfly reserve and had a long talk with a birder but (like him) saw nothing more that a couple of blackbirds and a pheasant.

So that was enough of carrying my heavy camera for the day ;)) End of the week - have a brilliant, or at least peaceful, weekend  xx