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Sparrowhawk

Here we have a sparrowhawk, he just dropped in to see if there was anyone on the bird table that he fancied. It seems that he is fairly well known and even has a few admirers, imitation being a sincere form of flattery, and all that. The cuckoo has a similar size and under parts design. This means that she will have easy access to the nests of the birds chosen to be step parents to her eggs – as the owners of the nests are inclined to remember a prior appointment when she appears on the scene.

Sparrowhawks have quite a reputation among falconers. They are said to be very difficult to tame and to train but they are tenacious hunters and will often land and pursue their prey on the ground if it tries to escape by running into the undergrowth. They are also considered to be not very bright birds and when their blood is up they will often kill themselves in impossible pursuits. A little too much focus here, perhaps?

In the middle ages, when social standing was the only thing that mattered, because of the sparrowhawk’s small size, falconers considered it to be a bird suited to a woman or a priest.

The best thing about it of course, is that its name is derived from the Norse, Saxon and Old English name for – a sparrowhawk.