how many buzzards?

[Nina P]

Today, over my back garden and the fields beyond, rising in a thermal was 10 ( yes ten) buzzards and there were also four on the grond calling, some were courting some were just soaring, one became a tiny dot before I lost sight of it, and the bottom one suddenly dived down and behind the trees I lost sight, I have said that we have many of them and generally they are in groups of five, but today ten up and four down. WOW WOW WOW. I know I love them but that is a new record at the moment. Nina.



:bounce:

[Paul 42]

I think a lot of those Buzzards will be returning migrateurs Nina. I saw on another group a guy in Switzerland counted 6200 migrating overhead on Sunday. That’s a heck of a lot of Buzzards! When it gets really cold in Winter I see them grouped in a field near me, the most I’ve ever seen at one time is 26. When they are soaring I could watch them all day, I think they are very underrated birds here, there’s so many of them.

[Nina P]

I think these are all originally from one or two pairings as there are at least fifteen within the square mile, but have never seen them accumulate in the same thermal, I wonder if it was the only decent thermal around, for them all to congregate like that, and I just wanted to share it with everyone, as it was sooo spectacular. Nina.


B (:

[Gerry Hooper]

Nina, Well done for reaching double figures!!
They can get difficult to count when they're spiralling around each other.
We've had 13 at once over the garden, April is often best for gatherings.
let us know when you reach the Swiss count!!

[Nina P]

This has only happened the once so far this year, and this years breeding have not really got up and away, but there is a terriffic ammount of calling all around, so when they all get into another thermal, I'm looking to count hopefully twenty, if the previous broods are anything to go by.... but I will certainly keep you all posted. Nina.

[Michael Frankis]

Originally posted by Paul 42
I think a lot of those Buzzards will be returning migrateurs Nina. I saw on another group a guy in Switzerland counted 6200 migrating overhead on Sunday. That’s a heck of a lot of Buzzards! When it gets really cold in Winter I see them grouped in a field near me, the most I’ve ever seen at one time is 26. When they are soaring I could watch them all day, I think they are very underrated birds here, there’s so many of them.

Hi Paul,

Most Buzzards in Britain are resident and do not migrate at all - Buzzards generally only migrate in the more north-eastern parts of the species' range, where winters are much colder than in Britain.

These would be local breeding birds and their young from last year, perhaps brought together by a concentration of food

Michael

[Nina P]

Thanks Michael, I did think they were all local so suspect that next year will see hopefully twenty or more as they were low in numbers when I arrived here, and they have been rising in numbers at the rate of two per pair each year, and we had at least five pairs here this year, and they spread across the moorland and fields for hunting rabbits, of which there is a massive ammount, and they come into the garden and eat all the plants they can get their teeth into.

[Malmesbury Twit]

I live in Malmesbury, Wilts, and have just come back from lunch to see about 20-30 buzzards flying in circles at about 200ft.....

[Nina P]

I promised in this thread I would post when I got a better offer, well I got back from College during the last week to be greeted by my husbands gleeful announcement!
You will never guess what I saw today?
What did you see then?
I counted TWELVE BUZZARDS UP! But the worst thing is they were in the exact same spot on the horizon where I saw my ten a few years ago! 2004 was my lucky time, does that mean I will have to wait until 2010 for my next sighting?

The lucky devil has time on his mind with being off sick, so he can spend time doing what I would dearly love to have the time to do! Oh well he got lucky this time, but he hasn't seen a 'Monty yet'! I often get a shout, what's this then? by the time I have managed to get to where he is the bird has gone!

I wonder if I will get to see more of them this year?

[Sean F]

I have forgotten at what site, but someone had the following in the same thermal in Berkshire last month: 24 Buzzard, 10 Red Kite, and 4 Kestrel.

That must have been an awesome sight!

[Andy in West Oz]

Lucky so and so!

Cheers