Japanese Sparrowhawks on combat alert. The lower bird is the male, the upper is the female.

A female Japanese Sparrowhawk in emergency-scramble posture.

The male Japanese Sparrowhawk mostly attacked from behind. This was in contrast to the female, who came at me head-on.

A female Japanese Sparrowhawk letting out a cry of rage.

The male won't attack when we're making eye contact, but when he comes from behind he cuts it far closer than the female does. When I spun around and found his sharp talons right in front of my face, my blood ran cold… ^^;

I only dared take a few shots of the nest — too nerve-racking. There appear to be well-grown chicks inside. One is visible in the centre.