As visitors to Arne will know, we have several cameras set up around the reserve looking at lots of different nests. Last year we had the excitement and drama of the barn owl and kestrel boxes and we are hoping for more of the same this year but we have an exciting new addition! This year we have a camera on a nest of my favourite bird of prey, the buzzard! The pair ofbuzzards first turned up a few weeks ago and since then they have been really busy getting the nest ready for laying in the next few weeks. Both birds have been in with fresh pine branches and it really does look like a desirable residence for any discerning buzzard! The pictures come complete with sound and we have heard the pair mating just off of camera (think they must have been a bit shy!).
The most exciting thing is that we have all of this streaming live to our website! So settle down in the comfort of your own home, office, or internet cafe and watch the first buzzards nest to be filmed inDorset right from the start!
The birds are appearing daily but they will be more regular when the female lays her eggs. Buzzards usually lay their eggs in mid April but because of the good weather it could be a bit earlier so you will have to watch to find out! http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/a/arne/webcam.aspx
If you would like to keep us updated with what you are watching then join in with this discussion. This worked brilliantly with the kestrels and barn owls last year so let’s see if we can get it going for the buzzards this spring! I am really excited about what will be happening in the next few weeks!
so you mean that we'll have the kestrels on the online webcam?
Bad luck chaps - it looked promising. Having 5 kestrel eggs as Plan B is a fine thing however! :-)
P.S. If the mallard lays eggs can we switch back??
5 Kestrel eggs is a brilliant plan B. Not sure if the mallard would lay that high up a tree but strange things do happen. The nest is still on screen in the VC so we are keeping an eye on it!
Hi,great to see the Kestrel nest. Just been watching and saw the pair swap places to sit on the eggs,how lovely that they share this. Not sure how you tell which is male or female though but understand the male only sits for a short time. Looking forward to seeing the eggs hatch. Thankyou.
Pam
http://www.flicker.com/photos/moonraker2012/
Brilliant to see the Kestrelcam now, sounds like it's bucketing down there but amazingly I am looking out onto blue skies and sunshine not so far away! Looking forward to following the lives of this family:-)
Only problem is my dad now thinks they're "buzzards"!
:0)
Dom - I am sure you can put him right! - And see my post from yesterday - I was pre-empting your response!!
All comfy in the nest I see - thoroughly enjoying the live birdsong as background music while having breakfast:-)
The male did a fairly respectable job of shuffling the eggs about a bit earlier this morning.