Buzzard in the garden

[bustertom]

Hi saw a buzzard sat in one of the trees in the garden on Saturday, but by the time I had finished flapping trying to find the camera it had gone. Managed to get this picture yesterday - it was a bit camera shy and I just managed to get this one picture before it flew off.

Clare

[Nicos]

Lovely!!!.....

[Madasafish]

Had a merlin this morning on the turkey's pen.. eating a sparrow.

When I was painting our garge doors six years ago, there was a large bang.. I looked up to see a sparrow hawk complete with pigeon had crashed into the next door . The hawk was dazed: the pigeon flew away...:-)

[quark1]

Tremendous!

[rana]

Until I moved out of London I rarely saw buzzards but down here in Dorset they are quite common and occasionaly visit the garden, often sitting in the trees for an hour or so to the great consternation of other birds.

[nmayhew]

quality picture

apparently they are even here down in kent, where the rspb say they are aren't!

confirmed by my friends and also kent wildlife trust though, so here's hoping i see one soon!

[srodders]

We have a sparrowhawk in the garden and have had Merlins, Kestrels, Red Kites and Peregrines overhead. I find the number of birds of prey is increasing which is fantastic news as it means their population is getting healthier and also that their prey must be getting more numerous to support the increase. Good news for wildlife all round.

[nmayhew]

I find the number of birds of prey is increasing which is fantastic news as it means their population is getting healthier and also that their prey must be getting more numerous to support the increase. Good news for wildlife all round.

Precisely Srodders!

Finally someone on here who isn't from the "if it's not small and tweety and on my bird table then it must be nasty and represent all things bad" school of thought!

As i keep banging on, the reason for declines in bird populations, including our beloved "garden" birds (which actually aren't garden birds at all, but most people forget that) is intensive agriculture, its ill-considered use of chemicals and the way it has stripped much our countryside in the last 30-50 years. It has precious little to do with a sparrowhawk trying to find its dinner, or granny's moggy catching a blue tit in the garden.

"thump"

...the sound of me alighting my soap box!

[mnmc2004]

wow thats amazing....the most i have ever seen is a sparrow feeding a few feet away from me and sparrowhawk flew right past me like a browish blur and a sqealing sound and the hawk flew off with the sparrow....

I was looking up thinking all kinds of "french" words !!