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#1
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OT
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 |
#2
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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 |
#3
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"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. |
#4
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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. |
#5
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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 |
#6
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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/ |
#7
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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. |
#8
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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/ |
#9
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"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. |
#10
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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. |
#11
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"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. |
#12
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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 |
#13
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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. |
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