THE customers and traders of Newton Abbot Market welcomed an unexpected guest after a sparrow hawk swooped into the Indoor Market’s service area and decided it was the perfect spot to perch for the day.

No matter how hard the market team tried, this feathery squatter just wouldn’t budge.

Mark from Newton Abbot Market said: ‘Like many visitors, the bird obviously liked the Market as no matter what the Markets’ team tried, they couldn’t persuade it to leave.

‘We had to call on the services of bird of prey rescue expert Dave Scott to free the bird. Market trader Diane was given the opportunity to set it free.’

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(Newton Abbot Markets)

Sparrowhawks are small birds of prey. They’re adapted for hunting birds in confined spaces like dense woodland, so gardens are ideal hunting grounds for them, although perhaps not market halls.

They are increasingly found throughout our towns and cities throughout Devon and England more widely, as they chase their favourite meal, the house sparrow. Small and agile, the sparrow hawk was on the brink of extinction at one point.

However, they have been making a comeback in recent years, thanks to legal protection and the withdrawal of certain types of toxic pesticides, which accumulated in their insides via their prey.

Although perhaps Newton Abbot Market isn’t the best place for them to set up shop.