Sparrowhawks play hard to get

Ecclesall Wood, Sheffield A close-up look at these birds - which have evolved to be invisible in domains such as this - was proving elusive

A new noise stopped me dead in my tracks; a sort of pulse-quickening, primitive shriek, more banshee wail than bird call. Through the still-bare March treetops I saw the source of the sound barrel straight overhead - my first thrilling glimpse of sparrowhawk in this neck of Ecclesall Wood, near my home.

In the long light of a clear May evening came a second sighting, not far from the first; a revelatory 10 minutes of spectacular aerobatics in the full view of Ecclesall Road South, the bird's fluidity of movement spellbinding.