Late afternoon the local Jackdaws were "high-flighting" en masse above the house. It seems they do this as a social thing, but also to teach their recently fledged young about how to fly expertly.
But this time it was different.
There was much commotion. They were flocking nervously around a big
Goshawk.
To evade her entourage, the
Goshawk plummeted earthwards and swooped under the canopy of the large beeches
at the rear of the gardens here. Trailed by part of the Jackdaw flock.
She quickly shot away, only 20
feet above our astonished heads.
At that moment not only could
we see every detail of her undersides, we could also see the Jackdaw she had
been clutching in her talons all this time.
She sped away with her caravan
of Corvids into the wooded valley below the houses.
The commotion did not die down.
She was still somewhere in that area. And the local Carrion Crows, Jackdaws and
Magpies wanted her out of their patch.
Some ten minutes later she left
to the north over the valley. Pursued, very respectfully, by three Crows.
This time there was no Jackdaw
slung beneath her.
Phil Baber and Pam Buckle