The sound of silence

The regular, loud and delightful dawn chorus was hours before. I stood in front of the ensuite mirror and listened to the entirely different and raucous calling that came from the bedroom window behind me. 

Still covered in shaving foam and toothpaste I hastened to grab the camera - luckily with the telephoto from yesterday's blip still in place - and ran to the open window. The cacaphony continued, and up in the trees at the end of the garden... was this sparrow hawk.

I banged off a couple of shots at whatever setting I had left it on, and then decided to change to a faster shutter. A split second - no more - of glancing away, I swear. The garden was silent, and the sparrow hawk gone from the tree. Silent, where before it had been so loud.

"look at him! look at Him! look at HIM!!!" 
(don't see me don't see me don't see me) 

And then, danger having either struck or gone entirely away, the garden returned to full song. Life, and death, in the back garden and it's not even eight o'clock! Have a smashing weekend, folks. Look up to the skies...