Author Topic: Resident Buzzard (Read 6253 times)

Norfolk Newby · « **on:** November 14, 2011, 02:57:44 pm »

I own a 12 acre field in an area of open farm land. There are no houses in the immediate area. I live a few miles away and try to visit the field a couple of times a week at this time of year. The area is overrun with bunnies, game birds and hares currently.

Recent visits have produced the spectacular sight of a buzzard launching itself and then soaring over the neighbouring fields which form a shallow slope. The prevailing wind providing additional lift.

One day recently I arrived to find the buzzard and a similarly large crow type bird (raven?) on the patch of grass I use as a parking/picnic area. They left immediately but the sight of the two birds spiralling around each other to gain hight was impressive. I assume the two birds were taking advantage of the dead rabbits provided by my neighbours shooting them. While the farmers might take the fully grown rabbits, young or diseased ones are just left.

My worry is that the local gamekeeper (responsible for the game bird population) will be tempted to shoot or poison this magnificent bird before the Spring breeding season. I am making no accusations of course but suspect the loss of the local fox is down to him. While foxes are not always appreciated they would keep the rabbits in check.

I can accept the buzzard will depart once the bunny population is reduced by its predations plus Winter privations but would hate to find a corpse.

robert waddell · « **Reply #1 on:** November 14, 2011, 03:33:46 pm »

they are protected by law we have them as well very impressive you could watch them as long as you watch pigs there are also ospreys not that far from us as well

lachlanandmarcus · « **Reply #2 on:** November 14, 2011, 04:34:22 pm »

yep he is allowed to kill the fox (humanely) but would be in big trouble if he touched the buzzard. Odd as there are so many buzzards, we have way more buzzards than foxes!

Fleecewife · « **Reply #3 on:** November 14, 2011, 04:44:27 pm »

But it used to be the other way round - far more foxes than buzzards. The laws are starting to make a difference but in certain areas game keepers flout the laws and poison birds of prey. I am happy to live with them. Might the other bird have been a rook? I know they usually are found in groups but not necessarily so. Ravens are not found throughout the country, but are pretty huge if you do see one. Rooks will mob buzzards, especially young ones, but if they get too annoyed apparently they can turn on the mobbers - I think that was on Autumnwatch

We are lucky enough to havce buzzards here too, also peregrines and sparrow hawks. There was a pair of merlins about a mile away but I haven't seen them for a while. Lucky you to have so many bunnies to be preyed on. Hopefully the hares escape as they have become rare now too.

There will never be more birds of prey than an area can support.

omnipeasant · « **Reply #4 on:** June 11, 2012, 06:03:53 pm »

I love my resident buzzards. We occassionally leave a dead sheep longer than we should, but they really do appreciate it. Very good at picking up cleansing too. Silly that some farmers still belive that they kill lambs.

lachlanandmarcus · « **Reply #5 on:** June 11, 2012, 06:44:17 pm »

we have buzzards and they have never touched any lambs even tho our Shetland lambs are very small (unlike the golden eagle that took a tiny twin last year :-O!) And red kites have just started to visit, a pair so far.
there are foxes too so my lambing is done in a 7 ft fenced field with wobbly wire for the top 2 feet. But of course that is no defence against a goldie! I didnt begrudge him his tea, tho I was sad for the lamb, because of the rarity of the golden.
Apart from the golden eagle, the only other animal take I had was a dog/badger attack which killed one and injured one, it was thought to be dog not badger :-(((((((((

Factotum · « **Reply #6 on:** June 11, 2012, 10:42:21 pm »

We have a pair which nest in the wood next to our fields. Each year they have a single chick, which they bring to the fields to teach them various tricks.

One very popular trick is the 'jump up and down on a molehill' not sure what they find to eat, but it seems to be a regular feature of educating junior in the ways of the world.

Our buzzards like the odd rabbit - we saw one rabbit trying to escape from a stoat that had a firm grip on its neck. After a lot of leaping about, the stoat gave up and the rabbit sat on the grass recovering. At that point a buzzard launched itself from the nearest telegraph pole and caught the rabbit. Lots more jumping about as the buzzard tried to take off, but didn't have the power to lift off with the rabbit in its talons. The rabbit struggled and the buzzard gave up and went back to its pole. The rabbit escaped into the hedgerow - no doubt wondering what it had done wrong to deserve such treatment.

I feel sorry for our buzzards - they seem to make every other bird want to try to chase them out of the sky. Carrion crows attack them, even our meadow pipits flock around them. Watching them in flight is amazing, we do have some great rising ground here, and when the wind is just so, our buzzards do a good kestrel impression, flapping their wings to hover over the grass, watching for their next meal.

MAK · « **Reply #7 on:** June 27, 2012, 10:40:32 pm »

Facinating read and how special to have seen a golden eagle on your land.
We seem to have a few differnt types of buzzard here with a honey buzzard living in a tree at the bottom of the garden. Red and black kites are great to watch.
We plan to drive south for an hour or so as there is a small enclave of vultures that live on the rock cliffs above the dordogne river.
Our ducks keep watch over the rabbits and so far the buzzards seem to be happy catching frogs or snakes.

Factotum · « **Reply #8 on:** June 28, 2012, 12:22:57 am »

small enclave of vultures

We went on a very special holiday to India a few years ago - OK quite a few years ago now, but the wildlife was amazing.

We had hoopoes hopping about in the gardens of one hotel, and circling above, in vast numbers were the ever present vultures. Very large birds with long 'fingers' at the end of each wing - much larger than any buzzard we see here in Moray.

We went to a bird sanctuary at Bharatpur, the painted storks and snake birds (like our cormorants) were there in huge flocks.

I find birds fascinating - deriving great pleasure even from common birds such as chaffinch and robins. I guess that my favourites are swallows and house martins. I really look forward to their arrival each year - the first signs that summer is just around the corner. Watching them rebuild last years nests and bring on their young is a great privilege as they do it in close proximity with us.

Sue

MAK · « **Reply #9 on:** June 28, 2012, 09:20:48 pm »

Sue - My OH has got me into birds and now I am the first to run for the binoculars or scope. We have cranes that migrate thru a very narrow corridor here in the Limousin. They fly low in long chevrons and seem to stop and circle above our patch. They waite for other chevrons , join up, then head off. We waste hours watching them and listen to them throughout the night.
We have a lake down the lane that the cranes may use to navigate by.
We saw a Golden Oriole yesterday.

Factotum · « **Reply #10 on:** June 28, 2012, 11:15:03 pm »

We saw a Golden Oriole yesterday

OK, now I'm really jealous, I'll never see one of those up here !

The nearest I've got to Limousin recently, was a Limousin X calf we took on as a replacement calf for one of our cows who lost hers. The LimX grew into a very tall beastie, and he was very good here - not flighty, keen on having his rump scratched and loved carrots. He was the beautiful deep red colour of his sire.

Sue