Male Sparrowhawk at the feeders

First thing this morning, in the drizzle and the murk, Andy M noticed that the garden feeders were unusually quiet.  Looking across the road, the reason became apparent - a male Sparrowhawk, in lovely richly-coloured plumage, was playing the watchful waiting game in a tree near the feeders, hoping the small birds would forget about him.

The bluish-grey back, and lovely rufous colouration to the breast feathers marked this out as an adult male bird; juveniles and (larger) females being more grey-brown and lacking the rufous tint.  Interestingly, the eye colour of males turns from yellow to orange as the bird gets older.  Note the characteristic long tail, as well as a few white spots on the back - apparently something which is becoming increasingly common in many birds, including in some birds of prey.