Sparrowhawk spring display flight

Our female Sparrowhawk is rarely not on the wing at the moment, just occasioanlly in company with her mate.

Picture above shows compilation image of 0ur female Sparrowhawk over Shadoxhurst taken over 10 seconds approx

Scanning the clear sky for migrants yesterday morning, I picked up a a pair of Sparrowhawks flying high and flying close together in a courtship display. Unusually, it seemed the larger female bird was trying the hardest to attract attention, with a mixture of stoops and climbs and slow flight wing flaps - and always with the white bluff of the undertail covets showing. The male bird tried to mirror some of the moves of its mate, and both birds seemed to keep close to the northern boundary of the village before looping back round south towards Nickley Wood. Spring Sparrowhawk display is a wonder to watch and worthwhile to look out for during April.