Thursday 23 June 2011

Thursday 23rd. June 2011

I arrived at the Common Buzzard nest site at a bit after 8 o'clock , unsure what to expect . The views we had yesterday were very poor , mainly because of the conditions , but I must say that I wasn't expecting to find two juveniles in the nest , and looking as if they could fledge any minute . My first reaction was to get a couple of hand held shots , just in case they actually did .Having got a couple of shots , I then decided to pass under the nest and set myself up on the other side of the tree , which I hoped would be better for the light . The two youngsters took absolutely no notice of me as I passed below them or when I set up the tripod and camouflage screen . I even took a folding garden chair with me , which came in very handy over the next five hours . To begin with , everything was very quiet in the nest , that was apart from the many flies that could be seen and annoying the pair . Every now and again , a bit of activity , when the more dominant of the pair got in a bit of wing exercise , which it seemed to do with every decent gust of wind . The only other movement was when one or the other defecated over the side of the nest , I won't post that shot , and when the dominant one had a struggle to regurgitate a pellet , which it finally managed , hitting the ground with a thud . Adults were heard calling at regular intervals , but then , without a sound , this adult arrived at the nest , not bringing food , it looked like it was just to check that everything was OK . After about 2/3 hours , an adult did bring in food , arriving unexpectedly at the back door , and appeared to just toss something small into the nest , then dropped down out of sight as silently as it arrived . The dominant one grabbed whatever it was and appeared to make short work of it . Then it was back to the hanging around bit again , and of interest , whilst I was there , neither the youngsters or the adult that arrived , made any call at all . During the time there were a couple of showers , but all the youngsters did was to cower down in the nest , presumably so that the feathers on the back would run the rain off . It would have been nice to have got a shot of the adult with food or the youngsters begging as the adult approached , but I came to the conclusion after five hours that the youngsters had probably eaten a hearty breakfast and it could be some time before they needed topping up .As I packed up my gear , the two youngsters still sat quietly , looking as if it could still be some time before they needed feeding .
The only regret of the visit , that I didn't have a second camera with me , because , as I sat quietly watching the youngsters , many Tree Creepers were seen , some only a couple of metres away , one flying down to the bottom of a tree I could reach if I stretched out my hand . Also seen , at least one family group of Marsh Tits , good to know they were successful again this year in the area .

8 comments:

Alan Pavey said...

Great series of pictures Greenie, what a treat to look into their world for a while :-)

Phil said...

Well done with the pictures Greenie, i'm suitably envious! Keep us up to date with the chicks' progress if you manage to get back again. Five hours, just as well you took a chair!!

Warren Baker said...

Thats a great way to spend an afternoon Greeie. I often just sit and wait, its quite amazing what turns up if you sit still long enough. You need a bit of patience though :-)

Kingsdowner said...

Marvellous way to spend the time, dozing in a deckchair. No cricket nearby?

alan woodcock said...

Great Buzzard pics,well done.

Mike H said...

Superb shots Greenie and I admire your patience,even with such a good subject not sure I could do 5hours!! Well done.

ShySongbird said...

Whoops! I was sure I commented on this yesterday Greenie. I most certainly read it and even read the early comments. Maybe I forgot to hit publish :(

Five hours! Now that was real dedication but worth every moment. Great series of photos, it must have been really fascinating being able to study their behaviour for that length of time. What a good job you thought to take a chair.

Thank you so much for the help on my post. How stupid of me not to notice the mixed parentage!

Paul said...

Five hours?! It was certainly worth every minute to capture those kinds of Buzzard shots mate, well done.