Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus  
 
   

Callendar Woods, Falkirk, Central Scotland.

I spent many hours filming this female Sparrowhawk at the nest during the Summer of 2002. I used a sit harness and rope to secure myself to a neighbouring tree (less than 5 meters away) in order to free up my hands and as long as I did not make any sudden moves, the female and young tolerated my presence. One of the eggs failed to hatch and was surprisingly still in one piece after the young had fledged.

    
Female Sparrowhawk at the Nest   Female Sparrowhawk at the Nest  
Female settling on nest
Female re-arranging eggs and young
 
  Female Sparrowhawk feeding young   Female Sparrowhawk at the nest  
Female feeding young
  
Female responding to male's food pass call
 
 
Female Sparrowhawk and Young at the Nest   Female Sparrowhawk and Young at the Nest  
Female feeding young
Feeding young (close up)
 
 
Female Sparrowhawk and Young at the Nest   Female Sparrowhawk and Young at the Nest  
 
As close as I was, there were reasons for not getting too close
  
Female leaving nest (clumsily)
 
  Female Sparrowhawk   Young Sparrowhawk  
Female preening
Young "exercising"