Buzzards – forty years ago in my nature notebooks
Seeing a Buzzard was a thrilling experience when I was 12 years old. So much so that I noted it down in my nature notebooks:
Despite only being 12, there’s still no excuse for me not knowing the difference between ‘were’ and ‘where’.
Forty years later and I’m driving through Wiltshire when I see a Buzzard on the top of a hedge.
As a child I only got to see Buzzards on holiday, and even then it was normally on the train that I got the best views.
Back then I saw Buzzards which were ‘light phase’ with significant amounts of pale markings on them.
Now I have a telephoto lens I can get a view of the hooked beak I could only have dreamed of as a child. This one is definitely a ‘dark phase’ individual.
I’m looking forward to photographing one in flight as it circles above me, just like one did in 1977.
More Buzzards
Buzzard over the garden I'm currently chicken-sitting for my friends in Oxfordshire and enjoying an egg or two. Their enclosure is larger than my… read more
Landing precision The Common Buzzard is quite a large bird, with broad, rounded wings and a short neck and tail. We're waiting… read more
Buteo buteo Watching a Buzzard being mobbed is always a fascinating experience. This one has two Carrion Crows in close attendance. They… read more
The remains of a meal There's a Common Buzzard on the banks of the River Dart. We're enjoying great views of it from the small… read more
Fixed with a piercing stare I'm watching a Long-Tailed Bushtit's nest from 20 metres away when I notice a Buzzard heading straight towards me. Those… read more
A Buzzard with its Crow shadow Mobbing is something Carrion Crows manage to do on their own, without the need of a mob. There's little rest… read more
The Buzzard and its shadow Buzzards are regal. They must be, because they bring with them a retinue wherever they go. Here's one with its… read more
Pale There's a very pale Common Buzzard flying around me. Its breast and underwings are almost cream rather than dark brown.… read more
The waterworks Buzzard On a previous walk through the industrial estate I met a couple who said they'd seen a Buzzard at the… read more