Last evening I was sitting in the garden
admiring my wife's handiwork when our cat growled. I heard what seemed to be
cats mewing. I looked up and
saw two buzzards soaring and crying to each other. Superb.
Tom Atkinson

In message , Tom Atkinson
writes
Last evening I was sitting in the garden
admiring my wife's handiwork when our cat growled. I heard what seemed to be
cats mewing. I looked up and
saw two buzzards soaring and crying to each other. Superb.
Tom Atkinson


It may be OT but it is a lovely experience. Thanks.

--
June Hughes

"Tom Atkinson" wrote in message
...
Last evening I was sitting in the garden
admiring my wife's handiwork when our cat growled. I heard what seemed to
be
cats mewing. I looked up and
saw two buzzards soaring and crying to each other. Superb.
Tom Atkinson
~~~~~~
We have too~~ They will not remain much longer, however, as they've
totally finished the local songbirds. Even the Wrens were pulled out of the
hedge/bank.
They do this every year and yet still return to breed each spring.
Best Wishes Brian.

The message
from "Brian" --- 'flayb' to respond contains these words:


"Tom Atkinson" wrote in message
...
Last evening I was sitting in the garden
admiring my wife's handiwork when our cat growled. I heard what seemed to
be
cats mewing. I looked up and
saw two buzzards soaring and crying to each other. Superb.
Tom Atkinson
~~~~~~
We have too~~ They will not remain much longer, however, as they've
totally finished the local songbirds. Even the Wrens were pulled out of the
hedge/bank.

That sounds more like sparrowhawks. Buzzards are too unwieldy in
flight to catch small birds on the wing or hopping about in hedges
(unlike sparrowhawks who can manouevre at high speed even in copses).
We've always had a lot of buzzards around and they make no noticable
impact on smaller bird numbers at all. IME they mostly catch small
mammals, more or less by crashlanding on them :-)

Janet

brian
We have very few buzzards here in N.Ireland and yet our song birds are being
decimated. Magpies and Carrion crows are the culprits here.
tom
"Brian" --- 'flayb' to respond wrote in message
...

"Tom Atkinson" wrote in message
...
Last evening I was sitting in the garden
admiring my wife's handiwork when our cat growled. I heard what seemed
to
be
cats mewing. I looked up and
saw two buzzards soaring and crying to each other. Superb.
Tom Atkinson
~~~~~~
We have too~~ They will not remain much longer, however, as they've
totally finished the local songbirds. Even the Wrens were pulled out of
the
hedge/bank.
They do this every year and yet still return to breed each spring.
Best Wishes Brian.

The message
from Janet Baraclough contains these words:

That sounds more like sparrowhawks. Buzzards are too unwieldy in
flight to catch small birds on the wing or hopping about in hedges
(unlike sparrowhawks who can manouevre at high speed even in copses).
We've always had a lot of buzzards around and they make no noticable
impact on smaller bird numbers at all. IME they mostly catch small
mammals, more or less by crashlanding on them :-)

Hares are all but extinct (or totally, maybe) on the Isle of Lewis and
Harris because of buzzards. And the sheep, of course, though they don't
stoop quite so fas or from such a height as raptors.

They just have the cover burnt for their benefit, so you can't blame them.

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from Jaques d'Alltrades contains
these words:

The message
from Janet Baraclough contains these words:

That sounds more like sparrowhawks. Buzzards are too unwieldy in
flight to catch small birds on the wing or hopping about in hedges
(unlike sparrowhawks who can manouevre at high speed even in copses).
We've always had a lot of buzzards around and they make no noticable
impact on smaller bird numbers at all. IME they mostly catch small
mammals, more or less by crashlanding on them :-)

Hares are all but extinct (or totally, maybe) on the Isle of Lewis and
Harris because of buzzards.

What makes you think it's due to buzzards?

And the sheep, of course, though they don't
stoop quite so fas or from such a height as raptors.

Arran has loads of hares despite having many sheep buzzards, and
eagles. Our last place also had buzzards, sheep and hares. I've never
seen a buzzard even attempt to catch anything as big as a hare, but on
the mainland I've frequently seen poachers hunting them with dogs.

Janet.

The message
from Janet Baraclough contains these words:

Hares are all but extinct (or totally, maybe) on the Isle of Lewis and
Harris because of buzzards.

What makes you think it's due to buzzards?

Observation - the Leodhasaich are out to their flocks a great deal, and
they see - or should I say, 'used to see' the swoop (rather than stoop)
and the stagger-off with a load of hare.

Of course, the golden eagles don't help - well, they don't help the hares...

And the sheep, of course, though they don't
stoop quite so fas or from such a height as raptors.

Arran has loads of hares despite having many sheep buzzards, and
eagles. Our last place also had buzzards, sheep and hares. I've never
seen a buzzard even attempt to catch anything as big as a hare, but on
the mainland I've frequently seen poachers hunting them with dogs.

Coursing isn't exactly a Lewis pastime, and in the years I was there I
never saw a greyhound, a whippet or a lurcher. And I only ever saw one
hare despite being outside pretty nearly all the daylight hours.

The bodaich said that when *THEY* were boys the island was alive with hares.

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from "Brian" --- 'flayb' to respond contains these
words:


"Tom Atkinson" wrote in message
...
Last evening I was sitting in the garden
admiring my wife's handiwork when our cat growled. I heard what seemed
to
be
cats mewing. I looked up and
saw two buzzards soaring and crying to each other. Superb.
Tom Atkinson
~~~~~~
We have too~~ They will not remain much longer, however, as they've
totally finished the local songbirds. Even the Wrens were pulled out of
the
hedge/bank.

That sounds more like sparrowhawks. Buzzards are too unwieldy in
flight to catch small birds on the wing or hopping about in hedges
(unlike sparrowhawks who can manouevre at high speed even in copses).
We've always had a lot of buzzards around and they make no noticable
impact on smaller bird numbers at all. IME they mostly catch small
mammals, more or less by crashlanding on them :-)

Janet~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Definitely buzzards. They've nested in the same scots pine for more than
twenty years. One chick was kicked out some years ago which I reared and
flew for three years.
Trouble only started when we stocked the dovecote with 40 white
fantails. These were quickly taken by actually entering the cote and in one
instance taken from my hand when trying to rescue the injured bird!! [plus a
scratch and bite]. The buzzards soon 'evolved?' to realise that birds
were their easist prey. I've seen them searching within the hedges for nests
with young~~ lately the last of the hiding wrens!!.
By mid July they have to widen their search area but return to nest.
One year I phoned the RSPOB but was warned of a £200 fine if I even
disturbed their nest~~~ I promptly offered to pay in advance but was warned
of even more dire consequences etc.
The garden is large, isolated very rural and just about self sufficient
for a pair of buzzards.
They also seem to have taken the young tawny owls that had nested in my
'hide'. Their feathers were in the grass in the familiar buzzard pattern. A
great pity.
Best Wishes Brian.

Jaques d'Alltrades wrote:
The message
from Janet Baraclough contains these
words:

Hares are all but extinct (or totally, maybe) on the Isle of
Lewis
and Harris because of buzzards.

What makes you think it's due to buzzards?

Observation - the Leodhasaich are out to their flocks a great deal,
and they see - or should I say, 'used to see' the swoop (rather
than
stoop)
and the stagger-off with a load of hare.

Of course, the golden eagles don't help - well, they don't help the
hares...

And the sheep, of course, though they don't
stoop quite so fas or from such a height as raptors.

Arran has loads of hares despite having many sheep buzzards,
and
eagles. Our last place also had buzzards, sheep and hares. I've
never
seen a buzzard even attempt to catch anything as big as a hare,
but
on the mainland I've frequently seen poachers hunting them with
dogs.

Coursing isn't exactly a Lewis pastime, and in the years I was
there I
never saw a greyhound, a whippet or a lurcher. And I only ever saw
one
hare despite being outside pretty nearly all the daylight hours.

The bodaich said that when *THEY* were boys the island was alive
with
hares.

Nice to see what my long residence in Wales has forced me to regard
as the second language of Heaven: just stick, as above, to words I
know!

--
Mike.

Brian wrote:
"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
[...]
That sounds more like sparrowhawks. Buzzards are too unwieldy
in
flight to catch small birds on the wing or hopping about in hedges
[...] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Definitely buzzards. [...]

[...fascinating stuff anipped...]

Is that behaviour developed ad hoc for particular local conditions,
or could it spread permanently to the entire population? I presume
the former.

--
Mike.

"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
...
Brian wrote:
"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
[...]
That sounds more like sparrowhawks. Buzzards are too unwieldy
in
flight to catch small birds on the wing or hopping about in hedges
[...] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Definitely buzzards. [...]

[...fascinating stuff anipped...]

Is that behaviour developed ad hoc for particular local conditions,
or could it spread permanently to the entire population? I presume
the former.

--
Mike.
~~~~~~~~~~
Most likely very local. I think that it just shows that they can
learn as well as any other animal~and can take advantage. However, if they
remain totally protected, then those with the least fear will thrive and
predominate.
Best Wishes Brian.

The message
from "Brian" --- 'flayb' to respond contains these words:
"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
...
Brian wrote:
"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
[...]
That sounds more like sparrowhawks. Buzzards are too unwieldy
in
flight to catch small birds on the wing or hopping about in hedges

Definitely buzzards. [...]

[...fascinating stuff anipped...]

Is that behaviour developed ad hoc for particular local conditions,
or could it spread permanently to the entire population? I presume
the former.

Most likely very local. I think that it just shows that they can
learn as well as any other animal~and can take advantage. However, if they
remain totally protected, then those with the least fear will thrive and
predominate.

Many years ago we were taking down two extremely tall poplars near
Neasden and looking up at the far distant tops, as you do. High above
soared a buzzard...

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from "Brian" --- 'flayb' to respond contains these words:


"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from "Brian" --- 'flayb' to respond contains these
words:


"Tom Atkinson" wrote in message
...
Last evening I was sitting in the garden
admiring my wife's handiwork when our cat growled. I heard what seemed
to
be
cats mewing. I looked up and
saw two buzzards soaring and crying to each other. Superb.
Tom Atkinson
~~~~~~
We have too~~ They will not remain much longer, however, as they've
totally finished the local songbirds. Even the Wrens were pulled out of
the
hedge/bank.

That sounds more like sparrowhawks. Buzzards are too unwieldy in
flight to catch small birds on the wing or hopping about in hedges
(unlike sparrowhawks who can manouevre at high speed even in copses).
We've always had a lot of buzzards around and they make no noticable
impact on smaller bird numbers at all. IME they mostly catch small
mammals, more or less by crashlanding on them :-)

Janet~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Definitely buzzards. They've nested in the same scots pine for more than
twenty years. One chick was kicked out some years ago which I reared and
flew for three years.
Trouble only started when we stocked the dovecote with 40 white
fantails. These were quickly taken by actually entering the cote and in one
instance taken from my hand when trying to rescue the injured bird!! [plus a
scratch and bite]. The buzzards soon 'evolved?' to realise that birds
were their easist prey. I've seen them searching within the hedges for nests
with young~~ lately the last of the hiding wrens!!.

Interesting. I also used to keep white doves, until the sparrowhawks
(and mink) killed them all. I've seen sparrowhawks take the doves from
their perch on our roof ridge. We also had buzzards nesting within
sight, but they never touched the doves. (OTOH, they did have an
enormous population of voles rabbits and roadkill to feed on). Here on
Arran, the buzzards are distinctly unafraid of people and much more
common in our neighbourhood that sparrowhawks.. We quite often have
buzzards perched boldly close to the house, or on roadside fence stobs,
and on one occasion had to pull up the car in the road while one of them
declined to get off the squashed animal it was eating in the middle of
the road. How he didn't get hit I can't imagine!

Janet

Janet Baraclough wrote:
[...]
...here on
Arran, the buzzards are distinctly unafraid of people and much more
common in our neighbourhood that sparrowhawks.. We quite often have
buzzards perched boldly close to the house, or on roadside fence
stobs,
and on one occasion had to pull up the car in the road while one of
them declined to get off the squashed animal it was eating in the
middle of
the road. How he didn't get hit I can't imagine!

In West Wales they were wary of people, but quite as dimwitted about
cars. I gathered a sense that they might have been the number three
flattened species on the A40 after foxes and cats. (That isn't
statistics, just a feeling. And I know young foxes aren't dimwitted,
just desperate to get into new territory.)

--
Mike.