Birdwatchers rushed excitedly to see a swallow that hasn’t been seen in Britain for 20 years – then got a nasty surprise when eaten by a hawk in front of their eyes.
The twitchers had been watching the red-rumped swallow for 20 minutes when it stopped to rest on a TV aerial.
It was then that the sparrowhawk swooped, near Montrose in Scotland.
Group member Mike Sawyer said: ‘We were horrified. We had just called other birdwatchers to tell them the news, and then had to call back to say it had been eaten.’
The red-rumped swallow isn’t normally found any further north than Greece.
A RSPB spokesman added: ‘Sadly, it is just one of those things.’ (source)





November 15, 2006 at 7:55 pm
I heard this story on BBC radio this morning but did not have time to search and post. Thank you for posting this. As they say, that’s life!
November 16, 2006 at 8:48 pm
I hate to say it, but I sort of giggled a little when I read this