Coo, what a narrow escape!

Huge bang on the kitchen window this morning. The sparrowhawk, who regards our garden as his regular diner, had chased a pigeon that had been sitting on the power line going down to the workshop. Pigeon knocked itself out on the glass and fell down behind the watering can and the sparrowhawk veered off down the garden.

My partner went out to retrieve the 'dead' pigeon and as he put his hand down to pick it up, it shook its head, looked at him and flew away. Perhaps it mistook him for a giant sparrowhawk; he has got a bit of beak!

Fine fox

We hadn't seen the vixen for weeks. I had had a tin of dog food decomposing in my fridge - it had been opened at least a week ago when we saw one of the cubs - so last night I decanted it into the fox bowl and this morning, not only had it vanished but the vixen was back, looking wonderful with her thick winter coat and full brush, a terrific contrast to the rat-tailed, mangy-looking sight of earlier this year.

February this year.

Today.

I noticed what looked like a brown, withered autumn leaf stuck to the kitchen ceiling this morning. On closer inspection, it turned out to be a beautiful moth. I couldn't find it in my Butterfly and Moth Guide so I posted the image on Facebook. A short while later, I found it on an online guide and it's a Herald Moth. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Herald_(moth)

Absolutely beautiful, with its striped legs, glowing red outer wings with distinctive spots and wavy lines and serrated edges for extra camouflage.