Sparrowhawk
The other birds can see it before I can. They’re up in the air in a mad panic, flocking into a defensive formation to make it harder for the predator to pick one of them off.
Then I see the Sparrowhawk heading fast and low across the water while the Lapwings and Golden Plover fly up and away. I see one fly in a sweeping arc as the Sparrowhawk nears then disappears behind a hedge.
![Sparrowhawk - the Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)](https://www.thehallofeinar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Sparrowhawk-the-Hall-of-Einar-2-725x484.jpg)
I love wildlife encounters like this.