Common Buzzard and others

Another beautiful day with plenty of sunshine and blue sky without so much as a breeze so took advantage of a walk around the parkland on our doorstep.     We counted 27 tufted ducks on the mere,  there was a pair of wigeon although too distant,  the G.C.Grebes were maintaining their strong bond and the herons were still organising their nests on the island and then the buzzards came overhead.      

took lots of photos of the buzzard but will leave it at four;   still a bit of a struggle with eyesight juggling binoculars, eyeglasses and camera so not as pin sharp as I would have liked as I'd only just photographed the herons and had no time to change settings !     normally within seconds the buzzards have soared away again but this time it stayed low over the fields. 

next, a very smart tufted duck (m)

one of two coots paired up

Canada goose

A crow perched on high surveying his domain  ......

and the heronry ....

think this one had a lQQk of surprise    lol          looks very pale grey so is it one of last year's young ?

  • You seem to have Buzzards like I have Red Kites. I rarely see a Buzzard these days - at least not from home where I am most of the time.
    Lovely blue skies - it makes such a difference for photography. We had fog initially and the grey clouds didn't clear until midday. Cut the lawn for the first time this year - I know how to have a good time. LOL
  • LOL Tony, glad you managed to get the first cut in, he smell of fresh grass is wonderful and says goodbye to the winter ! it's getting milder now and finally feels like spring is on the way. Can't wait to say hello to the warblers again once lockdown eases. Time to get the chicken left-overs ready for your garden visiting Kites.
  • Another lovely day by the looks of it Hazel and super shots of the buzzard! Was pretty grey here today..sun popped out a couple of times though

  • Wonderful pictures.
    Those in-flight shots of a Buzzard are great.
    Crisp enough for me!!
  • Good to get the light under the Buzzards, which makes a big difference. That last one is definitely an immature Grey Heron but I honestly don't know how long it takes one to reach maturity. Is it just a year or more? I shall maybe investigate ... later!
  • Great pictures Hazel for me the Buzzards are tops. We are seeing a pair displaying from our kitchen win dow, I'm hoping we can find a good safe place to keep an eye on the nest.
  • Hi Nige, I read that herons don't breed until they are 2 or 3 years old; juveniles retain their plumage into their 2nd year and can vary. G. Herons nest very early in the season so there may already be eggs in these nests; will be an interesting project to keep tabs on their progress being only fifteen mins walk. Need a bit more heavy pruning of twigs around the edge of the mere as I can't always get very clear views of them on the island !
  • Yes the chicks usually start to be visible in April (I think). Mind you, I hope there's no eggs in the beginners nest yet - they'll fall through the gaps!!
  • Wendy S said:
    We are seeing a pair displaying from our kitchen win dow, I'm hoping we can find a good safe place to keep an eye on the nest.

    Look out for that "roller-coaster" courtship,   I remember seeing this courtship display above our old house and it was spectacular to watch and jaw dropping as we watched them locking feet/talons and tumbling down rapidly from the sky   !!       Gotta love birds,   doesn't matter how many times you see them, there are always special moments to witness and behaviours to fascinate us.    

  • Unknown said:
    I hope there's no eggs in the beginners nest yet - they'll fall through the gaps!!

    LOL Nige !!     he's Billy or Milly -no-mates at the moment by the looks of it and got the wooden spoon when it came to choice of prime nests    !!