Hawk's a first for John
A bird lover had to look twice when he saw a sparrowhawk perched on the fence in his Black Country garden. A bird lover had to look twice when he saw a sparrowhawk perched on the fence in his Black Country garden. John Sheldon is used to robins, wrens, tits and other small birds swooping down to feed – but the mottled bird of prey is a first. The hawk stayed put as the 74-year-old amateur photographer carefully reversed into his home in West Bromwich to fetch his camera. And it didn't budge when he returned and started clicking away on his Nikon 995 digital camera. Mr Sheldon, of Thursfield Road, Stone Cross, managed to get five close up pictures before the bird took flight, and he was was delighted with his coup. Read the full story in the Express & Star.
John Sheldon is used to robins, wrens, tits and other small birds swooping down to feed – but the mottled bird of prey is a first.
The hawk stayed put as the 74-year-old amateur photographer carefully reversed into his home in West Bromwich to fetch his camera.
And it didn't budge when he returned and started clicking away on his Nikon 995 digital camera. Mr Sheldon, of Thursfield Road, Stone Cross, managed to get five close up pictures before the bird took flight, and he was was delighted with his coup.
He said: "I'd gone out into the garden to feed the birds when I spotted the sparrowhawk.
"We get a lot of sparrows and starlings come down to feed, which is the hawk's basic diet, so in many ways it wasn't surprising to see it.
"I stole away backwards as quietly as I could, without taking my eyes off it, and fetched my camera from the house. I thought the noise of the shutter would disturb it when I started snapping but I managed to get a few shots before it flew off.
"I was sorry it didn't turn round a bit more so I could get its mottled breast but I'm happy to have got such a clear image."
Mr Sheldon, chairman of the West Bromwich branch of the Royal Airforce Association, used to go on bird watching trips but restricts the activity these days to his back garden. He added: "We've had herons and woodpeckers visit but never a bird of prey before."
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds says sparrowhawks have moved in closer to the edge of towns since their natural countryside habitats started disappearing as a result of modern farming methods.
Fran Lancaster, assistant site manager at the charity's Great Barr wildlife reserve, said: "It's not uncommon any more to see sparrowhawks in some suburban gardens now."
