Buzzards

[Patsy]

When I was out pottering round the lanes today on my horse,we saw a recently planted field with about 9 buzzards stationed around it. Going past it again a few hours later they were still all there. I've noticed it several times in the last few weeks and we're absolutely fascinated by them. They just appear to be standing around but all carefully spaced out, looking for all the world as though they're waiting for the falconer to come and start the display! Anybody have any ideas? One friend says they surprisingly eat quite a lot of worms ( the Buzzards not the friend!) and are probably doing just that. I know that they're fairly lazy hunters and will have a go at most things, but worms?

[scarey55]

OH, who has done a lot of work for the Hawk Conservancy Trust in Andover said that male buzzards will spend a lot of their time looking for worms and anything else they can get. The males are a good bit smaller than females and can't easily overpower anything as big as a rabbit so they will eat rats, mice and even worms, anything to stay alive.

[Nicos]

We have 3 over our field ( and chooks)
They are beautiful birds...and wherever we drive there are always several flying around, or sitting on fence posts by the side of the road- when they fly past the car when disturbed, their feathers glow in the sunlight...stunning birds.

[Mac]

We had 8 circling round above our house last weekend, they then one by one swooped down and followed the tractor as it was plouging the field. Was quite a sight...the seagulls who were doing their usual thing of following the tractor didn't quite know what to do!

[HayleyB]

We've got three living at the farm next door, it looks like they've taken a couple of Sarah's guinea fowl though (feathers and bones), they hunt the birds that hang about and the bunnies of course..

[Flummery]

There are 4 that have been circling the little wood near us. One of the village 'bodgers' reckons it's because there's a lot of myxomatosis in the rabbit populations again and moribund rabbits are an easy catch.

[brooklynodog]

Living in Somerset we have plenty of buzzards and fields (lol) They often eat worms, and spend a lot of time doing so, probably as its an easy meal. They seem to enjoy joining up with other buzzards in thermals, and just spend time together circling. We have seen up to about 28 together (cant be exact as its difficult to count them) which I have been led to believe by a raptor centre is a bit of a record!