Buzzard

There are lots of buzzards, red kites and other birds of prey where I live in the Brecon Beacons. When the weather is really cold they sometimes land in my garden to scavenge food left out for the small birds - buzzards are huge close up, aren’t they?

Up in the mountains, we have so many buzzards, red kites, sparrowhacks, hobbie and kestrels - a joy to watch. the buzzards and kites mew and fly all around our house and garden all Summer. Such a joy.

Buzzards are chief wind up merchants with the corvids (any corvid will do)

I enjoy the Buzzards around here, on the edge of Dartmoor.
The crows seem to enjoy playing in the sky with them, - or are they possibly seeing them off! The latter I suspect.

I often see two buzzards circling above the hill opposite our house. They are mobbed by rooks regularly.
A burn flows at the bottom of the hill, and a heron flies up and down on his fishing expeditions. They are huge birds, when in flight.

Tizliz it's possible to lose hours watching them isn't it. I'm on Exmoor and the buzzards wheel overhead. I like to lie in the garden and watch them soar.

As with minimoon. Our two buzzards here in Cornwall are bullied by the rooks.
I love watching them on a clear blue sky day with the sun making their colours stand out. Beauty at its best.
On many occasions onehas been known to fly low in front of me down our track to then roost in a tree and watch me pass.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202110/medium-568808-goosander.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202110/medium-234438-female-common-merganser-goosander-mergus-merganser-kmxaec.jpg

I had a view of a female goosander perched on a watergate across a stream, not 50 yards away. A fantastic bird, almost as big as a heron. Nearly all photographs show them floeating on water, so you don't get a sense of how majestic they are. The female has an elegant hairdo of chestnut feathers.

A burn flows at the bottom of the hill, and a heron flies up and down on his fishing expeditions. They are huge birds, when in flight.
A neighbour had a large garden pond with fish but a heron fished them all - it used to sit on the roof of another neighbouring house.

If you watched the last Spring (?) watch the bit in Scotland was filmed 15 miles from me. See Osprey, kite, and eagles here - though most low flying is done by the RAF.

The buzzard moved to 5 yards from the kitchen window and had a peer in then, just as OH got the camera, he flew off.

henetha

I enjoy the Buzzards around here, on the edge of Dartmoor.
The crows seem to enjoy playing in the sky with them, - or are they possibly seeing them off! The latter I suspect.

When my daughter and I both had tiny puppies the buzzards seemed to take a keen interest in our garden and, even though we knew they tended to be more carrion eaters it still freaked us out. It didn’t happen in my garden, which is quite small and surrounded by trees but the covid s saw off the buzzards in my daughters garden and were a good early warning signal, too. Amazing creatures, covids. I’ve always loved birds of prey but at that time I just saw them as cold blooded killers. I held a Golden Eagle once and the grip in it’s talons was unbelievable. I’m sure the buzzards have moved further and further north over the years but maybe I just didn’t see them.

Callistemon

^A burn flows at the bottom of the hill, and a heron flies up and down on his fishing expeditions. They are huge birds, when in flight.^
A neighbour had a large garden pond with fish but a heron fished them all - it used to sit on the roof of another neighbouring house.

They are amazing to see in the early morning when they stand still like statues. There’s something so primeval about them. Even though I’m surrounded by them it was years before I recognised one in flight: it’s their long legs trailing behind them that are a giveaway. Going off at a tangent here but mink have been seen in the river nearby and something ran across the road last week when I was driving to the next village. Too large for a weasel and quite dark. It only clicked when someone mentioned seeing mink.

We are not that far from the sea and there are loads near us they have a distinct cry, so you hear before you see them.
Think they might be after the Seagulls?

We see a lot of birds of prey here too. The other day I looked up whilst at the sink and a kestrel was sat on our garden fence a ot 20ft from the back door.

Other than that I've seen buzzards, hen harrier, sparrowhawks, kites and heard little owls at night in the field behind us.

Going off at a tangent here but mink have been seen in the river nearby and something ran across the road last week when I was driving to the next village. Too large for a weasel and quite dark. It only clicked when someone mentioned seeing mink.

Oh dear, not good for other wildlife. Of course it might have been an otter ?

We frequently see buzzards wheeling over the farmland here - hear them before we see them most of the time. Their numbers seem to be on the increase - good sign there is plenty of prey about.

Callistemon

^Going off at a tangent here but mink have been seen in the river nearby and something ran across the road last week when I was driving to the next village. Too large for a weasel and quite dark. It only clicked when someone mentioned seeing mink.^

Oh dear, not good for other wildlife. Of course it might have been an otter ?

No. The man who spotted it is our local wildlife expert.

And the one I saw was far too small for an otter.

Mink killed all the goldfish in my pond in one night a few years ago, they are merciless. There was a dead one on the road near us, that’s how we knew it was a mink.

We see lots of buzzards and red kites where we are. Sat outside yesterday enjoying a bacon sandwich and coffee at a little cafe. We watched them swooping and listened to their 'whistles'. Off topic slightly some mink have found their way into our local lake. The council are going to trap them I have been told.