Talking of bats (from Barn Owls thread). Last Friday I watched a Sparrowhawk hunting them at dusk. I was sat at the edge of the woods overlooking a field and watching the bats fipping around over me. The hawk was about 30cm/12 inches low to the ground and so close I could feel it and hear it pass me. It hugged and flew the treeline straight and fast just above the ground continually at this height then turned and flew back. Dead fast, dead dead fast like a dark stealth fighter. When it came to the bats above me it could obviously see them above it highlighted by the lighter sky, it then turned 90 degrees vertically and took one out. No messing. The bats were completely unaware of it against the dark ground and it was more than a match in aerobatic ability. I watched this for half an hour as it took six of them, each time returning to a bush beside me to eat its snack. By the last three it was really dark and still successful at hunting, although it started to miss more frequently. It was one of the greatest wildlife watching moments of my life,.... you know the ones - they sneak up on you unawares and happen two or three times in a lifetime, so epic, you find yourself holding your breath. It reminded me of how Great Whites hunt seals in Africa - from below, and fast.
Thought I had pictures, but sadly forgot the flash.
Thought I had pictures, but sadly forgot the flash.