Buzzards Galore

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Johnboy
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At the top of the hill behind me there are the remains of a Great British Fort and later a Roman Fort and is known for it's gatherings of Buzzards that take advantage of the thermals coming off the area.
Yesterday beats all records because there were 22 Buzzards simply floating on the air. This is ten more birds than I have seen at one time in well over thirty years. Just to complete my day four Red Kites floated in and although there has been a pair about for a long time now and was hoping that they might nest. With another pair in the same area it now seems unlikely because a nesting pair would be territorial and they were very peaceful together. Probably four birds below the breeding age.
However with a wonderful sunny Spring day and the bird sightings always a bonus.
JB.
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alan refail
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We have plenty of buzzards round here, though I have never seen more than two or four at one time. They are usually mobbed by crows or seagulls.

On a happier note, our local ospreys are back for their ninth year -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-nort ... s-17445232
Cred air o bob deg a glywi, a thi a gei rywfaint bach o wir (hen ddihareb Gymraeg)
Believe one tenth of what you hear, and you will get some little truth (old Welsh proverb)
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Johnboy
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Hi Alan,
We do get Ospreys in the Teme Valley but they are non-breeding birds and appear at extremely irregular times during the breeding season. Again these will be young birds below the age of breeding. The young males seem to become aware of the females when they are over the age of four. They seem to be increasing in numbers over the years which is very encouraging.
JB.
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Geoff
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I almost don't begrudge you the Buzzards. We only get 6 or 8 at a time. I think they are the most wonderful of birds, when they come over I stop what I'm doing and watch them soaring so apparently effortlessly. I don't know how often they feed but they always some how seem so relaxed and just drift over the neighbouring field full of Rabbits, I've never seen them go for one, as though they are saying "Let's watch them run". If we had 22 I wouldn't get anything done!
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oldherbaceous
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Many years ago, i was told you can have too much of a good thing.
I'm still waiting for this statement to prove itself right. :wink:
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

There's no fool like an old fool.
Myrkk
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We get a lot of buzzards and kites here too. We've had them sitting on the garden fence unbeknown to us until they launch themselves at our bantams. Amazing to see so close up but didn't stop me running towards it waving my arms to scare it off my beloved chooks.
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Colin_M
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Good news from all of you. I'm very lealous of those of you in Wales or near the borders. It takes me 2 hours to drive to my favourite spots in the Brecons/Black mts.

In the mean time, there are buzzards in the woods nearby, but they have turned into circling specs by the time they go over our house. Lovely to hear their cries, but fruitless to try & photograph :(

Here's a Kite deciding whether to swoop on me, or the guy next to me:
http://www.pbase.com/celidh/image/130079673/original
Kleftiwallah
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I cannot remember what T.V. programme it was but it made me chuckle when they referred to them as Tourist's eagles! :) Cheers, Tony.
Jude
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I've heard that very recently too Tony, I think it may have been a question on Mastermind, something about them being commonly confused with Golden Eagles in Scotland. Or it may have been on something else, my brain hurts this morning, husband's birthday celebrations last night :( :!:
Jude

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Catherine
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I love watching the buzzards, and have noticed that they are getting closer to where we live near the Ribble Valley. Not seen them here before.

What I do hate are the feeding stations for the red kites, I think that they should feeding naturally not being fed from the back of a tractor. In a field where the tourist can watch. :(
Myrkk
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I'm with you on that Catherine. It means the numbers are higher than are actually sustainable for a natural eco-system. Eventually it will cause problems. I'm sure it has helped the population expand faster than it would have otherwise though.
Colin, I live just outside Swansea and the kites are quite a common sight here... so perhaps you don't have to travel so far after all. It takes me 1hr to get to Cribbs Causeway ;o)
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Colin_M
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My wife agrees with you Myrkk. However now that numbers are getting back towards normal, they are taking some of the birds to re-introduce into other places. Quite a lot of Welsh Kites have been taken to Eire in the last 10 years. However, once there many died, we're poisoned or shot, so it's a slow process.

Myrkk wrote:, I live just outside Swansea and the kites are quite a common sight here... so perhaps you don't have to travel so far after all. It takes me 1hr to get to Cribbs Causeway ;o)

that's good going - not in peak traffic though? To negotiate the M4/M5 junction and get to Swansea usually takes longer, though I don't have the luxury of travelling outside rush hour.
Myrkk
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no, that's not rush hour, you're probably looking more like 1hr 30mins in peak traffic. We're in the Neath valley though so don't have to go in to Swansea itself.

I didn 't realise they were exporting them... It's such a shame we haven't learnt from the ?80's? I seem to remember as a kid lots of farmers shooting/poisoning our raptors to the point they were all becoming protected. Now the numbers are recovering they are calling for it to be made legal to kill them again in Scotland. I just don't understand why we can't live in harmony with all of natures critters (ok, I might make an exception for slugs, but they die happy in our garden, beer traps!)
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Colin_M
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Guess numbers of all species rise and fall over time.

20 years ago, the one bird you could almost guarantee seeing on a motorway trip was a kestrel. I see far fewer of these now, and at various points along the M4 now a Red Kite is more likely (esp. around Reading).

In the meantime, Buzzards also seem more common now. Personally I'm happy to see more of all these large raptors in our countryside.
Colin Miles
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Colin_M - The RSPB say the cause of the decline in Kestrel numbers since 2005 is unknown - see
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/k/kestrel/population_survival_and_conservation.aspx

They apparently depend on vole numbers but I would guess that the increase in Buzzards and possibly Red Kites might have something to do with their decline. As well as our resident Buzzard pair who nest every year just beyond the bottom of our garden we now have 3 Red Kites and I watched a couple over my garden the other day not more than 20 feet away from me. There was some cat fur on the ground and I think they were inspecting it. I'm just about 5 miles from junction 48 of the M4 as the Red Kite flies.
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