I’m a birding newbie and have a question

QI’m a relative newcomer to birdwatching and a subscriber to your excellent magazine. Could you explain where Sparrowhawks go during the breeding season? I normally see them on a fairly regular basis flying fast over fences, houses etc, but I have noticed that from about March onwards for a couple of months or so they are virtually absent. Logically I would have thought there would be more sightings at this time of year given that they have chicks to feed. Guy, Coventry

AYou’re right that, logically, you might expect them to be more visible during the period that they have chicks to feed, but in common with the vast majority of bird species, they also become rather more shy and stealthy at the same time, because both they and their young are vulnerable at this time. In a species which is anyway a stealth, ambush hunter, that can be significant.