Killy, killy, killy, killy! The unique call of the sparrow hawk (or kestrel) can be heard over fields and pastures of much of North America. As it makes its cry, this graceful raptor can hover nearly motionless in the air, displaying delicate white and brown stripes on its underwing. The kestrel is the lightest and smallest of hawks, averaging only eleven inches long. It easily perches upon telephone wires to rest, while its heavier cousins must content themselves with sitting atop sturdier telephone poles or fence posts. Kestrels often nest in trees near farm houses and at roadsides, earning them a reputation for "neighborliness." In Among the Wild Brambles I've portrayed the sparrow hawk in a characteristic pose. Having ruffled its feathers, it takes its watch on a convenient branch within close range of its prey, which is hiding somewhere in the dried grasses and blackberry brambles below. - SL