a rare privilege

We occasionally see a flash of brown and yellow through the trees and hedges in the garden as a sparrowhawk swoops down on a sparrow or goldfinch but never before have I seen one sat so close to the house, posing for a photograph, and in the pouring rain.

autumn colour

the artful poser

hovering

A souther hawker dragonfly. These dragonflies are very territorial, and will often hover around an intruder, providing a rare opportunity to photograph a dragonfly in flight. Meanwhile a male moorhen is tiptoe-ing across the lily pads. We have been cut off from the internet for the last 7 days and Spot is most unimpressed!