So cool-this #crow found exactly the right spot to yell into the abyss and have the abyss answer back! #echo #cawcaw #darkRooster #predawn

#Moon in the morning…
#ottawa #predawn #photography

Early this morning, before sunrise, our garden briefly turned into chaos. House sparrows vanished into the firethorn (Pyracantha), blue tits and great tits scattered in all directions, pigeons took off, magpies protested loudly. Even the blackbirds dove for cover. Something was clearly wrong.

Then I saw it — a fast, agile silhouette cutting through the air, turning sharply mid-flight. A predator. Moments later it landed on the fence, right in front of us. A Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus).

A Sparrowhawk on the fence

This small raptor is built for surprise and speed. Short wings, long tail, and razor-sharp focus — evolution’s answer to hunting in cluttered spaces like gardens and hedgerows. The firethorn, dense and armed with thorns, offered the sparrows temporary safety, much to the visible frustration of the hawk.

It was still very dark. No sunrise yet, only moody pre-dawn light. Technically, this was a challenge. I didn’t want motion blur from a slow shutter, but pushing ISO too far would destroy the fine feather detail. I settled on 1/250s (the slowest I trust handheld), f/6.3, ISO 3200, fully zoomed to 400mm on the Sigma, mounted on my Canon 5D Mark IV.

The Sparrowhawk scanned the garden, alert and tense, then eventually flew off — leaving silence behind. Moments like this are a reminder: even in our back gardens, wild systems are constantly at work. We just don’t always notice them.

#EurasianSparrowhawk #AccipiterNisus #UrbanWildlife #GardenWildlife #BirdsOfPrey #NatureObservation #WildlifePhotography
#Canon5DMarkIV #Sigma100400 #HandheldPhotography #LowLightPhotography #BirdBehavior #UrbanEcology
#MorningLight #PreDawn #NaturalHistory #FieldObservation #BackyardNature #PixelfedPhotography #NatureLovers #BirdWatching #ScientificCuriosity
#ByMaikeldeBakker #WonderingLens #wonderinglens