Beautiful Babe

How gorgeous is this? I heard a strange bird call through the open window this afternoon and was intrigued. When I went out to feed the rest of them, I found this little beauty in the grass. He promptly moved to the fence and stayed there for ages and ages, screeching away at the top of his voice. Notice how he doesn’t have any tail feathers, yet. I think he must have flown - or fallen from - the nest too early, though he seemed able to fly well enough. Notice how Mum is watching me very closely, here - obviously worrying about her little one. As it turned out, she had good cause for worry. I went inside and sat at the table to look at the photos and heard a lot of babble, so I rushed up to the window, just in time to see a huge bird flying off. Not sure what it was. It looked way too dark to be a Sparrowhawk, although it had a huge wingspan. I suspected a crow or a jackdaw, though I didn’t see the head at all, it moved so quickly. I thought whatever it was had taken him and was devastated, feeling more than a little responsible. Ten minutes later, I heard him calling again but this time from the trees at the back of the house, so I breathed a sigh of relief.

Not for too long, though. Unfortunately, that constant calling gave away his location. I heard the adults chunnering and a flurry, then heard him no more.

Must admit, I’m heartbroken that something so beautiful, so tiny and so fragile could be here one minute, gone the next. However, I also feel really privileged. When we had blackbirds nesting by the door, they were very tame and we were allowed to get really close to them, without the parents getting upset, because they knew I was feeding them. But I don’t remember seeing them with no tail feathers, even though there were three of them and it was a really hot Spring, so they were often sitting on top of the nest, calling for food!