Sparrowhawk

The weather gods combined nicely recently to enable an afternoons ringing in the garden before we left for our summer holiday in Ibiza. It was a pretty good session with 50 birds ringed of 9 species with good numbers of Greenfinches. Two new species were added to the garden timing list - a juvenile Coal Tit provided proof that the pair that started visiting the garden in the spring have successfully nested nearby. Star bird was this 2nd calendar year male Sparrowhawk. A really tatty individual that has started moulting its primaries. As can be seen from the photo the outer primaries are extremely worn. I've seen him around quite a few times recently and there's also a larger female occasionally visiting the garden.