The peanuts and seed provided at Whinlatter and Dodd attract a variety of brightly plumaged little birds – chaffinch, siskin, greenfinch, coal tit, blue tit, great tit and great spotted woodpecker. With the juveniles hatched now the feeding areas are as busy as Piccadilly Circus.

On yesterday’s sunny afternoon what could be nicer than leaning up against the rails of the lower viewpoint discussing the finer points of each species. But a male Sparrowhawk was also watching and like a very unloving Eros arrowed just over our heads splitting the air with a noise like ripped silk, blindly intent on a free dinner of his own.

This time he was unsuccessful as all the birds on logs and feeders scattered in a roundabout of confusion. He banked up and hovered overhead for a few seconds before sliding down into the trees.

Sparrowhawks are inclined to be the bird we love to hate, their method of hunting – stealth flying with bursts of speed around corners is extremely successful amongst the hedges and fences of both country and suburban areas. It can be upsetting to see the chicks you have watched in your nest box killed and eaten. But like all birds of prey, being the top of the food chain means that Sparrowhawks are an indicator that all the food sources are healthily thriving below them. As opportunists they will naturally look to the easiest food source so if we provide them with dinner on a plate we must expect a few broken hearts.