Just Chris Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I'm always fascinated by the raptors (buzzards, kites, or whatever they are) circling as singletons or pairs (or more), riding the thermals, and drifting with the wind. I suppose their prey is smaller birds and ground-based mammals, but I've never actually seen one swoop or drop for the kill - anyone witnessed this spectacle?Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyh4 Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I think Buzzards and maybe kites as well take mainly carrion rather than live kill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
water rat Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Yes I've had first hand experience ,when a buzzard came down into the garden to take one of our chicks. Not a pleasant experience,but I wouldn't be without them. Now we keep the chicks enclosed until they're big enough. I've also seen them flying off with quite large snakes in their talons.W Rat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 They are most definitely raptors, not carrion eaters.In our part of Normandy they perch on the telegraph poles and swoop down into the ditches to take rodents etc. A lovely sight. We also have them on thermals, and they rise to amazing heights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoddy Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 My OH and I were sitting on our terrace watching a little covey of partridges when a buzzard plummeted out of the sky and caught one of them. It was amazing to see its huge wings spread out and acting as stablisers while it was on the ground. My OH ran at it and shouted and clapped his hands and the buzard left a lame partridge behind. I've no idea whether or not it survived long term though.Hoddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerdesal Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Hoddy, why did your OH do that?Buzzards have rights too you know and that was all part and parcel of the natural order. You possibly condemned the partridge to a lingering death whilst depriving the Buzzard of its natural hunting rights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybananasbrother Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 SUPPORT BUZZARDS RIGHTS. ARREST HIM HODDY NOW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybananasbrother Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I SAID BUZZARDS RIGHTS? NOT BU***** TIGHTS, in case anyone has not got their reading classes on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalpa Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 [quote user="Hoddy"]It was amazing to see its hugewings spread out and acting as stablisers while it was on the ground. [/quote]If you mean the buzzard hunched over the partridge and surrounded the bird withits wings, that is instinctive behaviour and is called mantling – it covers thekill and prevents other birds or animals nipping in and nicking it.I'm with Steve, though. There's no logic in your OH's behaviour (which I’m sureyou know). If your OH didn't want the buzzard to eat it follows that he'd beunconcerned if it was starving to death in front of him? Buzzard catching ameal is the natural order of things, and it takes patience and effort to catchsomething. It’s a shame that effort was wasted. On the other hand, stopping well-fedcats killing birds is fine! [;-)]Kites, buzzards etc certainly are scavengers and aroundhere, dependent somewhat on the season and the weather conditions, I’m aslikely to see buzzards looking for worms in fields as sitting on a telegraphpole awaiting a passing rodent.Probably the most exciting natural sight I’ve seen was aperegrine falcon stoop (dive) from a great height, knock a pigeon out of thesky and then retrieve it from the ground. It was absolutely heart-stopping, thrilling.The birds can reach speeds of more than 175 mph and then pull up to land safely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoddy Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Why did he do it ? He's a softie - as my French neighbour put it, "Il es plus delicat comme vous !" Mostly I think it was just that we were enjoying watching the partridge and he reacted without thinking. I gave him the necessary talking to at the time.Hoddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I saw a Peregrine stoop as I was taking rubbish to the bin at the end of the lane. I think that it saw me at the last moment and aborted the dive - incredible agility!Near us the carrion crows get the roadkill. Which is considerable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plod Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I was talking to my wife a few days ago saying in all my years of watching kestrels I had never seen one plummet to the ground only ever hovering. Then I saw one dive but I couldn't tell if it had caught anything. A couple of days later I was driving the car when a kestrel dived on something on the side of the road. And this time I saw it fly off with its prey. I also am fascinated by these birds, I love watching the buzzards around here, they hardly ever flap their wings and on days like today they fly so high they are practically out of sight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I know we shouldn't be too pink and fluffy about la France profonde, but in England the most exciting birds (or wildlife of any sort) I see is a Bullfinch. In France I see loads. In fact there was a pheasant wandering about our garden a few weeks ago. According to my neighbour it had escaped, they are bred for the chasse. Dopey birds, often seen wandering along the roads.Also see red squirrels, which is nice, all sorts of birds (including our own cheeky Robin) and on one occasion two escaped cows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil & Pat Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 One day last summer I saw seven buzzards in a group for a period of about 10 minutes before they dispersed, normally there are only two or three together at most. Was the large group unusual? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Poor Mr. Hoddy, I can't watch this any longer. [:'(]Please make him a cheesecake Hoddy to make him feel better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 "One day last summer I saw seven buzzards in a group for a period of about 10 minutes before they dispersed, normally there are only two or three together at most. Was the large group unusual?"I've only ever seen 2 or 3 together, but the area isn't particularly prey-rich, I suspect, unless they learn how to gang up on cows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith CHANNING Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 [quote user="water rat"] I've also seen them flying off with quite large snakes in their talons.W Rat[/quote]Unlikely to be a buzzard, more likely a Short-Toed Snake eagle - Circaëte Jean Le-Blanc. Similar looking to a buzzard and as variable in colour, although slightly larger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith CHANNING Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I don't think that seven European Buzzards soaring together in a thermal is unusual. Here in the Combrailles I rarely see more than three or four in one thermal, even though we have a lot of buzzards in the area. Seven together on the Hampshire/Wiltshire borders was quite commonplace. On one occasion we watched six European Buzzards and one Honey Buzzard soaring together in a thermal. One of our greatest thrills was a few years ago near the Cévennes, where we estimated a flock of Black Kites we were watching to contain over fifty individuals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 [quote user="Dick Smith"]I know we shouldn't be too pink and fluffy about la France profonde, but in England the most exciting birds (or wildlife of any sort) I see is a Bullfinch. [/quote]I'm surpised you don't have a bigger variety of birds visit in the UK, Dick. Despite being rather suburban we have a good variety and also have the pleasure of watching the red kites soar on the thermals. Last night we watched a fox just saunter down the road...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 [quote user="Dick Smith"]I know we shouldn't be too pink and fluffy about la France profonde,[/quote] Why not Dick? I don't mind, and nor do most people on here, when it comes to wildlife.At our last house here we had a balcony overlooking a valley, and there was one huge tree whose top was at eye level, not far away. Some kestrels built a nest there and we watched the story unfold, until eventually the three young ones flew off. Except for one, who got blown to the ground in a massive thunderstorm. Later I went to find it but it was dead [:(] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 A thing which I always notice on English films is the number of crows you hear in the background. There don't seem to be as many here (not on the films anyway!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoddy Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Thank you Christine. As it happens I made him a cheesecake this very afternoon - one of those with a whole can of condensed milk in. Not very haute cuisine I know, but he loves themDick, we have loads of pheasants in the field at the back of us in the UK. I'm sure that they were originally bred for a shoot somewhere, but now there are loads of them undisturbed. It's interesting to notice the different markings because there appears to be a much wider difference between individuals. I suppose it's because they're not 'proper' wild birds.Hoddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 That's probably where they came from. I think that may be the case on the Yorkshire/County Durham border, too. There are just too many to be a wild population. I once saw a Golden Pheasant (from a train) in Yorkshire, and that would be fairly unlikely as a wild bird. Very beautiful, but very daft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 [quote user="Hoddy"]Thank you Christine. As it happens I made him a cheesecake this very afternoon [/quote]How funny ! [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I'm a bit knackered after a very long day out with a group, so please excuse me while I try to cope with 3 pages.Peregrines will only be found where there are either rock faces or in cities where normally, but not always, they have been introduced to control town pigeons where they use tall buildings instead of rock faces. So, if you see a bird take a pigeon or dove outside of those habitats it will almost certainly be a Goshawk, which is of course a much larger bird.Buzzards and Black or Red Kites will take both living prey and carrion, opportunistic and not too fussy.As, sorry I can't remember who, said earlier the Long toed eagle is the specialist snake eater but I have heard of other instances where a Buzzard has taken them.Large groups of Buzzards, Black or Red kites are not unusual and you will often see them soaring or perched together in large mixed groups with possibly the odd eagle in proximity. In fact in Autumn these groups as with Hen and Montagu's Harriers can easily exceed 100 birds and sometimes 200 or more.Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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