Returning home yesterday I was greeted by a life and death struggle between a Pigeon and a Sparrowhawk in my garden.
The Hawk tried to fly off with the struggling pigeon and both fell into the garden pond.
The pond had a thin layer of ice unable to support the weight of the birds and the pigeon fell through into the freezing water as the Sparrowhawk took off ! The poor pigeon was torn and bleeding and desperately flapping/swimming to the edge of the pond, where I managed to pick it up. Was amazed at the breast stroke action of the wings taking it through the ice.
Drying it off and wrapped in a warm towel I checked the injuries, It seemed I arrived just in time to avoid the worst, it had been stripped of many feathers prior to being eaten, and the only torn skin was just inside the wing chest area.
Have given it anti inflammatory and anti bacterial cream on the torn skin, it's now recovering in warm box in the kitchen. What a swim to safety !
Incredibly this is the second time I have seen a Sparrowhawk fall into the water with a pigeon, once before on the riverside. https://simplysuperbswans.blogspot.com/search?q=sparrowhawk+drowns+pigeon
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