Female Sparrowhawk ( Accipiter nisus )

We had a good run up to Edinburgh and arrived at the Water of Keith Visitors Centre in time for a coffee and a walk before Kat finished work.  As usual, we had a walk along the water of Leith, hoping to see the Otters.  No such luck!  We were wandering back to meet Kat when there was a sudden "whoosh" and this female Sparrowhawk landed on a branch a little way in front of us.

A bird recorded in the UK since Anglo-Saxon times.  In recent times the population has had ups and downs.  During the 60s and 70s, the population increased, possibly because of the reduction in the use of organochlorine pesticides.  Now there has been a 25% decrease in the breeding population.