Spooking the Buzzard

Carole and I returned to our new home in the Fenlands today. It was a very fine day too. I decided to go out again with my new camera and try to get some shots of the many Common Buzzards about the Fens these days. Their numbers are increasing at an encouraging rate, much to the delight of the Fenlanders. Up until the 1990s; Common Buzzards were only in the north and west of Britain. Now they are back in the east.

Carole said she would like to come too, because she was able to spot them better then me, while I drove about the country lanes.

We got to Thorny Toll along the A47 and turned towards Gedney Hill, along a stretch of road called New Cut. We often see a Buzzard here. Almost at once Carole pointed to the lock gate and upon the metal girders in the middle of a field, we made out a Common Buzzard. She was surveying her territory.

There was a small gravel yard close by where I stopped the car. Carole handed me the camera and I began shooting shots, knowing the buzzard could get spooked and fly off quickly. I was some distance but had a telescopic zoom lens. Don't get me wrong; I'm no photographer so I was just clicking away for all I was worth.

As the buzzard flew off, I kept clicking as the wonderful creature swooped around and flew low over a small dyke, where a male buzzard stood upon the grass. He is in two of the shoots and has a white head. He is below the flying female buzzard on the bottom two photos. One just below to the right and in the other just below to the left.