Only on Orkney...

Louise was in the kitchen and the dog was outside sitting under the front kitchen window. Something caught Louise's eye and then she heard a high pitched cry as well, on the kitchen window ledge, with the dog a couple of feet below, was a Hen Harrier trying to take a bird. Today I've noticed that the male Blackbird that is paired and seems to have established a territory at the front of the house is tail-less. This is the Blackbird with a singe white outer tail feather on the right (which obviously is now no longer visible). So I suspect this was the very lucky escapee, I've heard Blackbirds make a terrible high pitched squeak when taken by a Sproghawk in the past.