Encounters of the Sparrowhawk kind

I treasure encounters with Sparrowhawks as they are quite secretive and alert birds which don't like being seen. Today I managed some sightings of a pair in my local park. First I heard a call 'kikikikiki!' and I saw a female landing on a tree. The view was quite obstructed and unfortunately, she flew off as I tried to get a better view. 

Then, a while later, in the same area I spotted the male. Not sure how, possibly a blue tit alarm call alerted me. He had some prey, what looked like a small bird, and was plucking it.

 He flew off, carrying the prey in his talons, and I wandered after him towards some big trees where he had disappeared. Then I saw the pair together, high up the crown of one of the largest trees in the park, a poplar (top shot). Fortunately the beautiful light made up for the distance to take some photos. The male started preening. I couldn't see if the female had the prey now. Male Sparrowhawks hunt for the female while she incubates.

The male at the top, smaller and with reddish tones in his plumage. The female at the bottom, all alert. Soon tree foliage will completely obscure views of these birds from the ground.

 On my way back from work I looked longingly at the poplar. No Sparrowhawks to be seen there. But then, beyond the tree, high in the sky, the pair was circling together, playfully chasing and soaring.

Blackbird mob

Returning home in the light evening today I noticed Blackbirds 'chinking'. This is a very persistent call, often by several individuals, that I usually associate to summer evenings. The blackbirds, up to four of them, were in the tree where the Tawny Owl nest box is. The owls are indeed in occupation, although they were nowhere to be seen from the ground. They have been calling at dusk, and every few days I have been able to watch one of them as it called, sat on the box for a few minutes and then left to go hunting. Often, later at night, one calls with a lovely gurgling sound from inside the nest. Two of the blackbirds got close to the entrance, calling non stop, if there was an owl in the nest, they might be able to see it. At some point they calmed and left, but then one returned, started calling and the others joined him in the tree.
I wondered that the 'chinking' is not a roosting call, but a mobbing call to an owl, which is more likely to be encountered active as nights become lighter in the summertime. In a couple of weeks, the leaves would obscure the view and although a blackbird calling is evident, a quiet owl sitting inside a tree is not. This is a lovely clip of blackbirds mobbing a Tawny Owl demonstrating the call and also how fearless they are towards the owl.

UPDATE 7 April 2017. From the living room at 20:05, I heard a Blackbird suddenly starting to 'chink' and I looked at the nest box. The round silhouette of a Tawny was sitting atop the nest. It was light enough to get a low resolution photo.