Buzzard – Dragon goes Wild

Lunch Delivery

Dragon — Sun, 18 Jun 2017 14:00:32 +0000

I was looking out of the window earlier, and spotted this bird of prey circling (I think it’s a Buzzard by the way it was flying). It wasn’t until I looked at the photos on the computer, that I realised the Buzzard seemed to be carrying lunch in its talons!

Sorry for the blurry photos – it was one of those Buzzards that just wouldn’t fly quite close enough for a decent clear picture!

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The Return of the Buzzard

Dragon — Wed, 14 Jun 2017 14:00:48 +0000

We could hear the distinctive “mewing” of the Buzzard earlier in the day, but there was no sign of it at all. Later on, we spotted it circling high over the hills, presumably looking for a meal.

I haven’t seen multiple Buzzards together recently, so I wonder if they have chicks in the nest that need feeding at the moment.

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Mewing Buzzard

Dragon — Thu, 18 May 2017 10:00:04 +0000

I’ve never understood why the Buzzard draws attention to itself by ‘mewing’ when it’s flying overhead. Surely any prey would just hide when it hears that sound?

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Mobbed by Crows

Dragon — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 14:00:22 +0000

I hadn’t heard the Buzzards for a while, so I was surprised to hear them calling this afternoon. I don’t know why they seem keen to announce their presence, especially when the crows seem intent on mobbing them!

The Buzzard got the idea and flew in the opposite direction, with the crows coming back to land in the trees.

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Another day, yet another Buzzard!

Dragon — Mon, 15 Aug 2016 09:00:56 +0000

It certainly didn’t sound like a Buzzard – more like a seagull with a sore throat, but when it flew over, it certainly looked like a Buzzard! I didn’t catch a photo of it at that point, but I heard it again later on, and despite the strong wind trying to blow me over, I was able to get a couple of photos in focus.

Not the clearest, mainly due to the wind and the distance, but I think these are the best photos I have so far, for seeing the detail on the wings.

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Acrobatics

Dragon — Fri, 05 Aug 2016 09:00:50 +0000

I’m not sure if the Buzzard is trying to taunt the gull, or swoop away from it, but it certainly looked like an unusual angle to be flying!

Strangely enough, the gull just ignored the Buzzard- normally the gulls gang up and ‘mob’ the birds of prey. Maybe there’s no youngsters to protect now, so they aren’t feeling quite so territorial?

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Screeching Buzzard

Dragon — Sat, 30 Jul 2016 11:00:31 +0000

The screeching call of the local Buzzard prompted me to get out for a walk around the block. I hadn’t gone far before I spotted a load of crows all circling nearby. Wondering if something had spooked them, or if they were just flocking around a source of food, I took a few steps further and was treated to the Buzzard flying quite low overhead!

It went on to circle quite high, but with the cloud cover it was still quite easy to spot.

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Aerobatics

Dragon — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 19:01:46 +0000

When I spotted the two birds circling exceptionally high in the sky, I first thought it was two Buzzards, but the one on the bottom right of the photo doesn’t look all that Buzzard-like in this photo.

I thought maybe the Buzzard was trying to catch something mid-flight, but I’m wondering now if it was training a young Buzzard how to catch prey, and had just dropped something for the other bird….

If only they’d flown a little lower, I could’ve got a clearer set of photos!

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Second day of wildness

Dragon — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 15:30:16 +0000

You wouldn’t believe yesterday had been so cold and wet, when your see today’s bright sunny weather. And as luck would have it, the blue skies gave some perfect Buzzard-spotting opportunities!

The last few birds I’ve spotted circling high in the sky, have been seagulls, so I was pleased to spot the local Buzzard circling this afternoon. I can’t believe quite how high it manages to soar, while still appearing to be able to clearly spot any potential prey near ground level.

The seagulls didn’t seem to mind it circling – previously they’ve flown at it, to try and get the Buzzard to move away, but maybe they felt it was too high up to be any real worry.

I’d heard there were a pair of nesting Buzzards locally, so I did a little research through the RSPB website, and discovered that Buzzard eggs are laid in mid-April, with the chicks hatching after around 35 days. So, this Buzzard could well be an adult searching for food for its chicks.

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Let’s Go Fly a Kite

Dragon — Wed, 11 May 2016 19:48:25 +0000

Someone had mentioned on Twitter that a Red Kite had been spotted a few miles from here several days ago. I don’t know much about Kites, but the local Buzzards seems to have a wide ranging territory, so I’d hoped to take a walk in that general direction at some point, to see if I could spot the Kite.

As luck would have it, I didn’t have to go anywhere! Mum was in the garden and heard a commotion from the other birds nearby. Spotting a bird of prey circling, she shouted for me to come and look – by this point, the birds was still circling, but way too high to get a clear view with the naked eye. So, thankful that the rain had stopped, we stood in the garden with binoculars and a camera to watch, and I was able to get some surprisingly clear photos!

Red Kite

Unlike the Buzzard (below), the Kite has a forked tail – there are other differences, but that’s the main one I’m using to tell them apart. About 30 minutes after the Kite flew out of sight, the Buzzard was circling in a similar area, maybe trying to stake its claim on that hunting patch.

Buzzard

Until a few days ago, I’d not realised that a Red Kite could even be seen in this area (I thought they were mainly in Wales, where I’ve seen them on the Gigrin Farm webcam), and certainly never expected to be able to see one for myself from here!

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