I find it a lot harder to get nice pictures of buzzards in flight compared to kites, they always seem to be flying higher and always seem 'more hurried' as here, you can almost see a purpose in his look.

I mean time will tell and I'm sure more will be taken, so watch this space.

not melodic, but it certainly travels. You can hear them a mile away. This one is calling to a mate, I think, as I can hear another, yes, got to be a mile away probably, replying.

the difference in tail shape between this and the Red Kite is very clear as is the difference in bulk.

Walking home from a very disappointing couple of hours in the hide at Ruthven ...... why do people think a bird hide is a place to endlessly flap their inane mouths about? Do they ever wonder why the birds are so far away? Oh, I kid you not, one of their phones then treated everyone within a mile or so to a long loud shrill shriek, "oh that will be my news feed alert" said one !!!! WTSMF. Sadly, it appears not to have been about a spate of God striking dead the selfish obnoxious and discourteous with thunderbolt type events (frankly laryngitis and haemorrhoids would have been fine). No wonder I drink so much.

Actually, years back, there used to be hide etiquette. Like most things to do with consideration for others that clearly has died. Oh, I did get manage to one fairly pretty shot of a Teal picking insects from the water tho', go look.

Where was I? Oh yes, walking along the B851 in a glum mood when in a moment I was surrounded by the harsh calls of Buzzards, a load of them. Looking up I could see around 10 wheeling above me. Groups of Red Kites, esp. at dusk is common here, but not Buzzards. They were behaving like a group of schoolkids going home, noisy, exuberant and active. Many Buzzard do move around for winter, so perhaps this was a small group returning, what do I know?

Now I hate trying to photograph straight up, firstly pictures of birds against the light are hard to judge and, in my experience, seldom worth it. Secondly, trying to locate fast moving objects through a narrow field of view is a bugger. I had spent over an hour trying to capture a skylark singing in flight the day before, yeah you give it a go sometime! Besides, I look like an idiot spinning around looking straight up trying to hold a heavy lens without dropping it on my face, and it gives me vertigo.

Bugger it, why was I carrying it, for this sort of thing of course.

What was obvious was that I could not capture but a portion of this display as they were all low, these two were dancing together for a few moments.

This is not the Buzzard's courship flight, just exhuberance, joie de vivre.

I spent a while trying to get more groups in a single frame, but they live to a different scale, a larger dance-floor.

They all drifted off out of sight, and I continued the walk home, a lot more cheerfully, I had no idea if any of those shots worked, but I had tried.

if I have problems capturing nice flying images of Buzzards compared to Kites then it's reversed when it comes to perching.

This male, I think from his size, often perches on this or another rock nearby, he's a fair way from roads and people and probably can settle comfortably without too much disturbance. He is also nesting nearby, although I don't intend getting close enough to disturb that and I have no respect for those that do.

I don't do any tricks to get pictures for this site, the worst I will do is dress up in camo and hide somewhere. This gives ticks and midges something to feed on, so both birds and suckers' win. This means that I generally rely on serendipity, if I see a bird and it co-operates, I get some pictures, if I don't, then I don't, either way it means me walking and carrying heavy kit. I have to go to the bird so to speak.

Well on a cold, very grey, and icy January the roles reversed, and this lady came calling on me. Some movement drew my attention to the window and lo' this buzzard was settling onto a low alder tree just over the road.

But how do I get a pictures, she's bound to bugger off as soon a car or tractor comes past? Panic, heart pounding, first get the camera, right, attach the lens. Now what? I clearly can't photograph through double glazing and besides there's a birch tree in the garden blocking a clear view. (tick-tock). If I try the back door and sneak around the side of the house, she's bound to see me first and will be off.

Time is ticking (tick-tock), any moment she'll be off again and a once in lifetime easy shot will go (oh go look at the Waxwing, same story really).

............ (tick-tock)..........

................. all the closest windows are blocked (tick-tock) by that bloody birch tree, perhaps the bedroom might work, run upstairs, carefully open a window, lean farther out than is safe…. (tick-tock) ……grab the window frame…. lean even farther out, and, and, stretch, yes, potentially there is clear shot well to my right

pick up camera and lean out again, but now holding a heavy weight ! OK I need two hands to hold it and two more to hold the window frame as I did a minute ago. A quick check and yes, I thought so, this is two more than I have. (tick-tock)

yes, this is completely sensible. (tick-tock). I consider the headline in the local newspaper "total idiot dies falling from window trying to photograph a bird". I mean it is exactly the stupid thing I would do. (tick-tock)

……… that's it, I've got to do something, I spread my legs as wide as possible, in some utterly absurd notion that perhaps my feet might catch on the window-frame as I fall out, I lean farther. Light is terrible, and I'm using the severely aperture challenged RF 100-500 zoom. I get some shots, I shake with muscle strain, take more, then I hear a tractor coming, and she's off. Gingerly I climb back inside.