Ó Michael Woods

The sparrowhawk came flashing across the lawn in the direction of the birdfeeders hanging in an old apple tree and the small birds fled in a flurry of wings. The hawk darted left and right as it tried to lock on a target, but it overshot and settled on the branch of a nearby tree. All the birds had disappeared, except one. A great spotted woodpecker was left clinging to the peanut feeder. It remained motionless for a full minute. Then it moved around the feeder to place it between itself and the sparrowhawk. Another two minutes elapsed before it started feeding again, while the tits and finches only emerged from their hiding places in the bushes six minutes after the alarm.

Freezing to avoid detection and moving out of sight are responses well-suited to a woodpecker that spends its time pressed against trunks and branches. One the other hand, flight is the best strategy for small birds caught in the open. Either way, it is vital to have split-second reactions at the very first hint of danger from a sudden onslaught. We can see that the small birds at a feeder are constantly on the qui vive by the way that they are continually scanning their surroundings with rapid head movements. Yet it would be wrong to think of birds, and other animals, living in a perpetual state of fear. Presumably they treat sparrowhawks as we treat motor cars. Both are potentially lethal but we learn to live with them. Survival depends on being aware and keeping out of harm's way.