Blogger: Janet Moorse, Volunteer in the Communications Team

Whilst walking down the garden with the grass cuttings. My shadow was intersected by another fast moving shadow. I looked up to see a sparrowhawk over head. He whizzed past, then came to a standstill above the trees, obviously eyeing up a small snack. The robin who had been watching my progress with the lawn mower, sent up an alarm call and clattered into the hedge, there followed some other alarm calls and the garden emptied of all the usual feathered activity. The sparrowhawk hung there watching for almost a minute, I could see his characteristic clear bands of colour on his underside, he watched me and I watched him, but then he was off.

Now I now there is a difference of opinion about birds of prey and garden birds. Many people are angry that the garden birds they happily feed are picked off at speed by sparrowhawks. Likewise, neighbours cats often prey on the plump fledglings that unaware, noisily call out to their parents from the middle of the lawn.

It’s difficult to act as referee to wildlife’s natural urges. I’ve banged on the windows to scare off the jays, who are hungrily eating the best of the bird food I’ve just put out on our bird table. But most of the time I’ve let nature take it’s course. The blackbirds mob the jays, the robins mob the dunnocks, so eventually everyone has their turn at the table. I’ve watched a jay being chased by a sparrowhawk twice around the birdtable, before escaping towards a fir tree. Who am I to interfere with the natural order of things.

We should continue to feed our birds, regardless of what life has install for them. They might be the sparrowhawks lunch, but equally they might be next springs busy parents. If the food is made available throughout the year, birds will gradually include your garden on their daily search for food. You can watch and marvel at the colours, the sounds and ingenuity of our feathered neighbours.

Feed the Birds Day Sat 29th October. Not just for one day, but all year long.

(Look for #feedthebirds on Twitter)