Couple of years back, I was walking home from work through a small housing estate less than a mile from the middle of Northampton. A large brown bird flew past me at no more than head height and pounced on a small bird (sparrow or some such) that had been minding its own business in somebody's front garden. It looked at me while the small bird let out a pathetic squeak, then took off to enjoy the meal. I never imagined I would see anything like that in the countryside let alone the middle of town. Anyone got any ideas what the bird of prey was?