Buzzards in mass formation

Hi,

This is my first post, just wondered if it is normal for Buzzards to group together in large numbers, just watched a group of 39 (may be 1 or 2 more or less) circling above Tiverton in Devon.

  • Hi, Welcome to the community from me! We often get Buzzards come to us for the winter, so maybe yours were assembled ready to move south for the winter? Or perhaps they had flown in from Northern Europe to escape the colder weather. Not really sure to be honest.
  • Hi and welcome to the community, what time of day did you see the Buzzards? I was wondering if they might have been gathering for a communal roost, I have no idea if Buzzards do this but Marsh Harriers certainly do. At Titchwell on N Norfolk coast they can get up to 50/60 some winters. Last week they were up to 22 MH roosting.
    Just a thought, others might know better.
  • Hi, They were gathering at about 3 in the afternoon and appeared to be riding a thermal. This particular area has a number of buzzards and it's not uncommon to see 5 or 6 together but I have never seen them in such a large number before.
  • This number of Buzzards together must surely mean there is a communal roost in the area. We often see up to a dozen or so locally but never in such numbers,must be fantastic sight to see.
  • Hi when I was stationed in Germany on exercise I too noticed a large gathering of buzzards to the tune of twenty or so and I asked a Sgt as to why (we didn't have mobile phones or Internet then) and his German wife who was a keen ornithologist said they would gather like this to eat worms

    Regards James