Hare and buzzard

Dry Rot

Member
Livestock Farmer
A good friend of mine was a gamekeeper for most of his life and he told me several stories of golden eagles taking sandy coloured (Fell) terriers, also foxes. He'd bolted one fox from a den with his terriers, then missed his footing in the excitement and couldn't get a shot at it. Just when he was cursing for the fox escaping, there was a rush of wings and an eagle grabbed it! He also had one of his terriers taken in a similar way, but the eagle dropped it when he fired his rifle. Fortunately it survived.
 

MrNoo

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Cirencester
I hit a buzzard in the road like that not that long ago . Did exactly that , looked at me then flew straight into front of pick up 🙈🙈, full trailer load on , couldn’t do anything …..
If you think they're bad on a road try flying a glider in a thermal with them, they tend to outclimb you and then fold up and dive vertically at you, normally passing at very high speed just behind your wing. I have never been hit by one but plenty have. They will also fly at you, we tend to turn one direction in a thermal but they always seem to turn the other so you always end up having a near head on every 360 degree turn, quite a few get hit that way. Chap I know well hit one, made a right mess, he landed asap as thought he'd done serious damage to his glider.

We have Peregrines here, I dont have a clue where they hole up but one will soon put in an appearance if you are pigeon shooting. And when you wing one, it'll be hit before it touches the ground. Lovely to watch but one a Peregrine appears you may as well pack up for the day as the pigeons will stop coming in.
 
If you think they're bad on a road try flying a glider in a thermal with them, they tend to outclimb you and then fold up and dive vertically at you, normally passing at very high speed just behind your wing. I have never been hit by one but plenty have. They will also fly at you, we tend to turn one direction in a thermal but they always seem to turn the other so you always end up having a near head on every 360 degree turn, quite a few get hit that way. Chap I know well hit one, made a right mess, he landed asap as thought he'd done serious damage to his glider.

We have Peregrines here, I dont have a clue where they hole up but one will soon put in an appearance if you are pigeon shooting. And when you wing one, it'll be hit before it touches the ground. Lovely to watch but one a Peregrine appears you may as well pack up for the day as the pigeons will stop coming in.
Think I will just keep viewing them from the pickup thanks 😂😂
 

jpd

Member
Location
rep of irl
seen two buzzards eating an adult rabbit in a tractor track
out from a ditch ina cover crop last autumn
i didnt think the took anything as large
 
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steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer
First Kite in Mid Wales were released in the Ywstwyth valley in and around Hafod, just down from Cwmywstwyth.

Late 70s early 80s I would say from failing memory. We had a holiday cottage Dad had taken on in the early 60s as a derelict, and spent many holidays there as kids.

What I do remember though, is how exciting it was to see 3 pairs circling above us on the thermals, all of the Kite then present in the UK.... The birdy community had a monitoring station at the old farmstead above our cottage, and I remember them getting VERY twitchy one time I arrived there about 10am, to park up above the cottage, and got the First Degree questioning...
 

steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer
First Kite in Mid Wales were released in the Ywstwyth valley in and around Hafod, just down from Cwmywstwyth.

Late 70s early 80s I would say from failing memory. We had a holiday cottage Dad had taken on in the early 60s as a derelict, and spent many holidays there as kids.

What I do remember though, is how exciting it was to see 3 pairs circling above us on the thermals, all of the Kite then present in the UK.... The birdy community had a monitoring station at the old farmstead above our cottage, and I remember them getting VERY twitchy one time I arrived there about 10am, to park up above the cottage, and got the First Degree questioning...
 

Yale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Funny thing happened near here.

Guy travels to the hills here to fly his golden eagle.

Villager was walking his jack russell terrier and the eagle thought he’d have a go,not sure if the Russell got airborne however gave the owner a fright.:ROFLMAO:
Just come across this,the very eagle.

In the pic this is our furthest field west in the blue.

5523A64C-E6B7-4819-8A44-961428AA5D06.jpeg


 
I heard someone say recently that abundance of predators means abundance of prey. If you don't have many hares but lots of buzzards, they must be eating something else.

Humans are the only animals to hunt things to extinction.
Cats have done to many times in Australia and other places they were introduced to.
Cats get a preferred food and will eat it until there are none left before switching.
I think there is something like 30 species now extinct in Australia due to cats.
Thats why I shoot every cat I can.
 
All birds of prey will compete for territory which will limit their numbers to some extent. Small birds make up for losses by having several broods each year and often having big broods too. But most mortality occurs over winter.

Goshawks are becoming more plentiful. Haven't seen a kestrel up here for years. I used to see merlins when they moved to the low ground during winter, but nothing lately. Peregrines are more common, also ospreys. Buzzards and kites too, but not yet in nuisance numbers.

I have argued for years that licences should be issued to falconers to remove problem birds, train and fly them, then release them at the end of the season. That's what sometimes happens in much of the rest of the world. But it was pointed out that captive breds are cheaper and not a lot of modern falconers could train a wild trapped bird anyway. Thirdly, those who have hawks making a nuisance of themselves often solve the problem in their own way and don't want to attract official attention!
We regularly see Hen Harriers in our part of France.
 
I heard someone say recently that abundance of predators means abundance of prey. If you don't have many hares but lots of buzzards, they must be eating something else.

Humans are the only animals to hunt things to extinction.
Buzards take most ground living small mammals not just hares
regularly taking leverats here seen adult hares fighting them off

seen buzzards take rats at harvest
 

roscoe erf

Member
Livestock Farmer
They were everywhere 8 years ago, far too many for the food available I suspect. I remember counting 18 buzzards and 6 kites in one 12 ac field when I was drilling swedes about then. Still plenty about, just not quite such ridiculous numbers, thankfully.

I put their decline down to being, without doubt, the dumbest birds that ever flew. A crow eating a tasty bit of roadkill will fly off as a car approaches. A buzzard will look up at the car and wait for it to hit him. :facepalm:
fallen stock rules have had a great effect on numbers
 

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