Kestrel IP

One moment they are there,
feeding on the sunflower seeds,
the next- swoosh- a crunch and a rustle of leaves,
into the hedge they fly, wings fluttering and flapping.
'Sssh', they seem to have said to each other.
I look up from my book-
Is it a cat?
Whoosh- swooping down, a Kestrel
dives into the hedge and shortly after surfaces again,
stands majestically on a branch-
Oh no! is my reaction.
We look at each other- this proud predator and I,
then it takes off just as suddenly as it came.
My darlin’ sparrows are spared today.