bird counting day

It is the RSPB's bird counting day today. You spend one hour watching the birds in the garden and record the maximum number at any one time. Of course, everyone puts out lots of bird food and as a result our garden is unusually empty. I am not sure whether or not we can count the buzzard sitting on the roof of Kitt's Cottage as in our garden. I have never before seen a buzzard sitting like this in the middle of our village, they usually avoid people at all costs; it is another sign I think that their behaviour is changing because of the cold, or else they were aware that it was bird watch day and decided to join in.

bird at prey...when it stops raining

After seven weeks of incessant rain the sun has finally come out. It was a lovely misty morning. All the local buzzards immediately headed for their favourite perches on the top of telegraph poles where they can watch rabbits from a far. Unusually, this buzzard did not object to being photographed; too busy sun bathing.

rapt attention

heavily disguised and almost invisible in the winter canopy, a buzzard watching Spot hare about in the early morning frost.

mob rule

two buzzards are being bullied by one agressive rook. You can almost hear the buzzard in the bottom photo saying "oi! you let go of my wing"

more twilight buzzards

this is very probably the same buzzard as before (same telegraph pole, same time), no fantasy this time but an honest photo.

evening flight

a bit of a fantasy I suppose, but it was a glorious cold evening.

blackbird

no more buzzard pictures I promise

buzz off

buzzards hate being watched

looking for cold newts

I like the evil glint in this buzzard's eye.

buzzards

buzzards are usually seen gliding with wings outstretched, but they find it hard to get going from a standing start.

buzzard

three buzzards in the wood today, showing off and generally fooling around. The female seems to choose a high tree and wait for the males to disport themselves. No clouds though.

february evenings

a very fiery red sunset this evening and the buzzard flying lazily away.

evenings

the beautiful pastel colours of the evening sky are drawn out by the buzzard's rich browns

caradon

as you probably know, most of us in east Cornwall rely on Caradon radio mast for daily instructions. The buzzard always flies away as soon as the camera comes out, no doubt the radio mast is talking to it too (should that be twit twoo?).

Lunch

looking like several bars of music, some reckless starlings confront the local vulture. 

sauron looks on

perched on the top of this ruined mine stack is a very large vulture, watching the little furry hobbits (that's Frodo Lilly and Harriet) and thinking about having a late lunch

cornish vultures

young buzzard enjoying the uplift on the edge of the valley in the strong southerly wind. 

con trick

same old buzzard, same old post, same old condensation trail making it cloudy in sunny Cornwall.

more buzzards

"come back here you buzzard" I cried but it ignored me. When we were small, mum used to threaten us with being carried away by buzzards and pecked to death; it was worse than daleks in a canine Dr Who. In the far distance is a line of white houses, this is Tamar View just outside Launceston, so it was a very clear day, but the houses now dominate the whole view. Why not paint them green? If our house is anything to go by this is the colour they will become soon anyway.

long days

this buzzard posed very cooperatively with the tower of StoKe Climsland church in the background. We creep up on them in the terranosaurus and snap them through the glass, hence the blue tinge.