chris pp Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 With the clear skies and sunshine today, plus the possibility to get outside, I had my first sighting this year of two different pairs of Buzzards going through their amazing breeding rituals, flying with synchronised movements, mirroring each other perfectly, then moving apart, circling and passing each other from opposite directions. Then best of all, circling higher and higher together, before touching feet and falling like stones toward the ground, pulling out of their dives at the last moment, often.to start the proceedure again.If anyone hasn't seen this display, or that of the other harriers, look out for it this year. It really is spectacular, a joy to see.Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 Chris. Just returned from working in spain for a couple of months, down there i have been watching Booted eagles and marsh harries since the middle of feb up to there capers.The bird of the year as far as im concerned is the Penduline Tit .First time i have tracked one down in 40 years of bird watching.In my wood the rooks have just about finished tidying and building there nest[rather high in the trees this year],so hopefully its going to be a good early spring.Happy days.michael. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dog Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 I saw to harriers in the local bistro drinking pernod and gazing into each others eyes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dog Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 I saw two harriers in the local bistro drinking pernod and staring into each others eyes.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 Na Dog. They where Oohmegoolee birds,the ones with the very short legs.The breed that has great trouble landing and sitting.Your shore not a twitcher..Mind you i have seen Dumetella Carolinensis in a bistro once, maybe thats what your getting confused with bright guy .Happy bistroing.Michael. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dog Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 [quote user="Michael"]Na Dog. They where Oohmegoolee birds,the ones with the very short legs.The breed that has great trouble landing and sitting.Your shore not a twitcher..Mind you i have seen Dumetella Carolinensis in a bistro once, maybe thats what your getting confused with bright guy .Happy bistroing.Michael.[/quote]Thanks for the help - my twitching stopped after I took the medication. I had a pet monkey once that suffered from Dumatella Carolinensis it got progressively worse until I died his fur blonde.I am off to the bistro now for a pint or two of green chartreuse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixietoadstool Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 Chris,Just about this time of year and a little later in the UK I usually see three buzzards flying together often climbing very high and performing lots of clever acrobatics with mid-air jousts (as many as 8 doing this together last year). My brother said that the 3 were probably a couple with last year's child - is this likely or would it be 2 males courting just the one female (or more - in the case of the 8)?Valerie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted March 7, 2006 Author Share Posted March 7, 2006 That's a complex question Valerie and I am not an expert on Buzzards, in fact as the French name suggests, Buse variable, they differ in looks a great deal. The reason I mention this is that it is difficult to discern the difference between males and females and to some extent younger birds.Younger birds always seem to look "fresher" to me and slightly smaller or compact.Given that common buzzards don't move around much if at all, tending to live in the same place all the time and the fact that they are a bird that's been doing rather well since protection both in France and the UK it is not unusual to have fairly large numbers of them in a locality. Another factor I understand is that young buzzards don't breed until their 4th year, so young unattached birds are probably in the group and not actually competing sexually. I have noticed much the same as you, but on observation it seems that in these groups there are distinct pairs that they break of into and what appears to be younger unattached birds that aren't really fully participating.Some of this behaviour is thought to be the female seeing how loyal the male is and if he is strong enough to be a good provider of food, bonding.That's about the extent of my understanding, hardly definitive. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkhunter Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 Hi, my knowledge of buzzards and birds of prey in general is slightly more than average due to my involvement with them over a few years when flying them at prey. I am fairly sure that all young are slightly bigger due to their longer feathers to compensate for lack of flying skills, this gives them an edge when tumbling hopelessly from the heavans when skill in the air has still to be mastered, hugh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 Chris to identify \the common Buzzards age the first year juv appears to be white underneath when soaring, with no black tail band, wing tips blackish with small black commas about 4" down from wing tip on the leading edge, second year it loses this but the bird gets slightly darker..On the adults they have the black tail band, allso blackline right around the trailing edge of there wings, there commas have gone replaced by the darker feather right across the wings and breast.I find a fast way to tell the common Buzzard apart from the honey Buzzard is the tail is larger on the latter sprays open more, the black tail band is jagged like teeth,It allso flies with his head held well forward,unlike the Buteo buteo.Hope i have not intruded on your thread.Happy days.Michael. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted March 8, 2006 Author Share Posted March 8, 2006 Thanks for the information Michael on young common buzzards, I've got the picture now, literally as I had a look in a reference book! ( something I should do more often). It's rather interesting as I have clearly never seen a one year old, why that should be I don't know but I would certainly recognise one now if I did. I'm not a bird watcher as such and before coming to France I had only seen buzzards in Wales from time to time in passing, usually in winter sitting on posts on grey days. As far as intruding goes, you're joking, it's not my thread and I welcome everything that adds to my understanding as I'm sure everyone else does, thats what it's all about, isn't it? Sharing what we know ourselves and learning from others. I learn something new every day and it will be a sad day when I don't.Thanks again, look forward to your regular posts, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Off subject, but Dog, I have one for you :Pessimist's DogAn optimist who went hunting with a pessimist wanted to show off his new dog. After the first shot, he sent his dog to fetch a duck. The dog ran across the top of the water and brought back the game. The pessimist said nothing.The dog retrieved the second and third ducks the same way - over the water. Still the pessimist did not react.Finally, the optimist could stand it no longer. "Don't you see anything unusual about my new dog?" he asked his companion."Yes - he can’t swim." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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