Red sky at night, shepherds delight. Red sky in the morning, sailor’s warning.
I don’t think there was anything for any sailors to worry about yesterday as it turned out to be a beautiful sunny day. A very cold wind from the east brought a lot of cloud first thing at 7am, but that soon cleared to leave a cloudless sky all day.
Once again I was treated to 5 minutes of a wonderful sunrise.
While I was in the garden admiring the sunrise, I saw that the Yucca flowers have now opened all the way up the flower spike, making a real statement in that part of the garden.
Just a few minutes later, after I had gone back into the kitchen, there was a whirring of wings from all the little birds on the feeder and they all vanished. A loud whooshing sound followed and this bird landed on the feeder – a male sparrowhawk.
I think it was a young one as it just sat on the feeder and looked puzzled, it couldn’t understand where all the little birds had gone to, thank goodness they were all hiding in the rose bushes and the spirea nearby!
All this excitement before 7.30am!
That’s beautiful, Pauline x
Thanks Rosemarie, they were all very special!
Just wonderful early morning images, it’s such a special time of day. You’ve captured the mood of the sparrow hawk beautifully, what a treat.
It is worth getting up early Kate, I see amazing things when I get downstairs early! The sparrowhawk was a stroke of luck, it didn’t stay very long, so we were lucky to see it. Usually it is the larger female that comes, but she quite often doesn’t catch anything, but she will follow the birds into the rose bushes, they know to go into the spirea next to the rose, where the twigs and branches are much more dense and she can’t reach them.
Oh, how I agree. Some of the most amazing things I’ve seen have been at daybreak when the rest of the world has still been asleep.
Definitely the best part of the day as far as I’m concerned Kate, it’s amazing the wildlife I have seen before anyone else is up!
Excitement indeed! What a morning, well worth getting up early for. That sure is a handsome bird!xxx
He is handsome isn’t he Dina and so much smaller than the female.
What brilliant photos of the sparrowhawk and the sunset looks wonderful too. I’m not an early riser so tend to miss that one!
Thanks Sue, it was a wonderful surprise to see him! The sunrise was quite magical, the whole garden had a pink glow.
Well caught – which thankfully can’t be said for the sparrowhawk’s breakfast!
Thank you Cathy, I was amazed the sparrowhawk stayed where he was while I went and got the camera. I think one of the sparrowhawks is a fairly frequent visitor as it isn’t unusual to see a pile of feathers on the lawn.
Great shots of the sparrowhawk. He looks so relaxed sitting there!
Thanks Jessica, he didn’t stay long though, he seemed rather clumsy and not very agile like they usually are.
Mornings in the garden are magical. Glad you took time to enjoy the sunrise. My garden club sponsored a special yoga class in the garden of one of our members this morning. It wasn’t quite as early as your early start, but felt very special.
I agree Susie, early mornings are wonderful, your Yoga class sounds perfect
Your Yucca is magnificent Pauline and so is the early morning sky. What a treat. The sparrowhawk really is a handsome fellow isn’t he? When tidying the garden a few years ago I found a dead one under my front steps. Maybe he had flown into the window? Or maybe the cat had been busy. I’ll never know.
Thank you Denise, the sunrise was magnificent, but so fleeting! How sad to find a dead sparrowhawk, I usually just find the leavings of their various kills! Our weather is coming from your direction at the moment, it is cold!!
Sorry about the cold weather, I’ll ask for it to be re-directed!
Many thanks, it would be appreciated!
Early morning is lovely Pauline; I have to admit that the last couple of mornings I snuggled up in my warm bed rather than getting up early, but at least I don’t have to get up so early for the sunrise now. Your photographs capture the moment beautifully, the sparrowhawk is a bonus, I love his expression.
It is tempting to stay in bed these colder mornings Christina, but knowing I won’t get back to sleep makes me get up. The sparrowhawk was so handsome, such a beautiful bird.
Beautiful sunrise photos. We can just about see sunrises here although our large trees tend to stop the full effect.
You’ve taken some terrific photos of the sparrowhawk, too. I’ve just moved my feeders here to try and confuse our local one. No doubt he’ll find the new location soon enough!
It was a wonderful 5 minutes Wendy, I have the same problem with our trees, maybe I should have gone back upstairs to take my photos! We seem to be on the local sparrowhawks list of “gardens to visit”, but thankfully they are quite often not successful and I’m so glad I have bushes that the little birds can dive into close by.
that is a weird feeling in the garden. For me it was when the usual white noise of birds chittering, went perfectly, still.
And I saw the sparrow hawk.
I know that feeling Diana, when everything goes so quiet. This time though I was actually watching the birds at the time and saw them scatter in all directions leaving one very puzzled sparrowhawk!
Beautiful sky. That sparrowhawk is cute, in a predatory sort of way.
The sunrise was stunning Jason, even though it only lasted for a few moments. I know what you mean about the sparrowhawk, usually they are so focused on killing!