It most definitely was , that's all there is around here other than the percys at the coast , the sparrow hawks have adapted gone from sparrow to pigeons perhaps now there food source has changed perhaps there no longer as incapable of such feats , have sat in my garden and watched the female spar chase a blackbird crashing through a tree , so am sure it's 100% a spar unless a hybrid which could be possible , but it certainly took the bird watched it with my own eyes , I went searching straight away , gone not in the vicinity of lofts gardens or large green area .