I spent the day in the garden. It needed tidying after the recent rain. The wildlife action was all overhead. Early on I spotted a distant sparrowhawk, and right at the end of the day a kestrel flew over. Neither were close enough for usable pictures. A peregrine came over twice. This shot is from the second sighting.
The main event, however, was the buzzards. Thy were circling periodically through the day, always attracting the attention of the resident herring gulls. Indeed it was the gulls' behaviour that caused me to look up. It was something about the persistence of their calling. This is a short sequence from one of the closer encounters.
Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.
10 Comments
Nice shots, Words. He never seemed to lose his cool, did he?
dW, it turned its head occasionally to look, but you're right: it stayed very relaxed indeed.
Goodness, that buzzard has strong nerves. Interesting to see the size comparison.
I saw a ferruginous hawk (the largest buteo here) yesterday, and it was being mobbed by a smaller hawk! They are given no peace.
I was looking crows chasing eagles few days ago, then gulls chasing eagles,… Poor eagles :awww:
WOW! Great shots
Erwin, thanks!
Adele, you've been getting some brilliant sightings this past month or so! I do feel sorry for raptors, but I guess they have earned their reputation among other birds.
Darko, it goes on all over the world. Raptors do seem to attract this kind of avian attention. It must get boring for them!
Thanks Sami!
Beautiful shots :up: