Predators!

I was in the garden bemoaning the loss of Bobbit and the absence of Tane. Pretty miz, if truth be told. All around, the birds were loud––tits and starlings and a clucking blackbird, with occasional robin alarms. Well, I thought, at least the birds are happy and then

SILENCE

I had seen, in my peripheral vision, a pigeon sized bird fly into the neighbour's sycamore. The back was turned to me, and my vision is not that good, but the silence of the birds was all the evidence I needed: sparrowhawk!

https://youtu.be/3NzofLmMiHY

I went inside to get my camera, and she was still there. Well, obviously. When she flew down in the middle, she surely can't have caught anything as she rose back into the tree just ten or so seconds later... though ten seconds seems rather long for her to be on the ground. I don't know.

The plumage of the back is a peculiar colour that seems to shimmer between tarnished copper and slate grey. From the front, the greyness is there, from behind the shade seems brown. Most striking are her pitiless eyes.

Now, I am assuming that in the video you noted the predatory orb spider? Well, these flesh eating types were the creatures of the day. When I put out the fox/badger/cat food, I heard some racing around in the bushes. As it was dusk, I looked over the fence.

The grey and white cat was coming through the gap in the fence between next-door and next-door-but-one. the black cat was sitting on a ledge in next door's garden. And I could still here rustling in the bushes.

The FOX came through the gap in the fence––the cat leaping nimbly up onto the fence––and started toward my garden!

It was very fluffy and healthy looking.

I decided to leave as my presence would deter the fox even more than the cats and the food is really for the fox.

Of course, my departure caused the fox to flee––but judging by how quickly it had come out the first time, I hoped it would get to the goodies first.