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Peregrines 'doing an Arctic skua' on a buzzard?

2K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  loughlad 
#1 ·
Don't know if anyone else has encountered anything like this? My fishing mate Ron was down at Seacliff, the tiny harbour beyond North Berwick. He was hoping to photograph diving gannets, but they were way too far out. He says....

"There was a brief, almighty disturbance overhead, and I thought it was a couple of peregrines fighting a crow. They were a distance away, and it was all over in a flash.
Only when I got home, I realised that it was a buzzard with what looks like a pigeon in its claws, being harassed by a couple of peregrines.
I only managed one shot where one peregrine was in frame with the buzzard.



In a later, blurred shot of the buzzard, the pigeon looked like it was gone."
 
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#5 ·
I should think I've seen buzzards pretty much every day of my life and I've seen them take plenty of chicks (mainly crow and rook) out of nests but I would think adult kestrels and pigeons would be one off fluke captures. I guess a pigeon on the ground could be taken by surprise.

Either way it's a great and interesting photo.


Andy
 
#9 · (Edited)
From 2009, one taking a Grey pharalope. Buzzards are more agile than you would imagine. Heard an account of a Buzzard taking a Kestrel whilst it was in a hover.


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Great picture thanks!
I've seen Buzzards taking Barn owls and short eared owls hunting by day. They stoop onto them from above, peregrine style.
I've also witnessed Avocets absolutely creaming Marsh Harriers, flying over their chicks, they are one aggressive bird and the harriers are petrified of them, I guess an Avocets beak could be quite a formidable weapon stabbed through the chest?
The Mistle thrushes and Great spotted Woodpeckers don't give any quarter to our Local sparrow hawks either! fun to watch them being harassed onto the ground for a change.
 
#10 ·
I witnessed something somewhat rare here in Alaska last month myself. A gray jay: see borrowed image........
Bird Leg Beak Feather Wing

Usually a regular around camping sites and seldom a predator, this one developed a taste for Red Polls and we saw him in extended pursuit of one unlucky little red poll never knowing how it ended up. The Jay was making a late day visit to our back deck every day and actually hiding beside the feeder waiting for the red polls to come.

Then one afternoon we spotted this guy sitting in a birch tree on the treeline.
Head Bird Eye Plant Beak


I did not get an image of either the Jay or the Northern Goshawk and those were swiped from the www. I supposed the Goshawk might like the Jay better then the tiny red polls and a bit of reading indicated that within this range the Gray Jay is in fact the primary prey of the Goshawk. Couple days later while at my desk with a large north facing window I saw the hawk come fast over the tree tops obviously in pursuit of something I hadn't seen ............. We have not seen the Jay stalking the feeders ever since.

Our Hairy Woodpeckers as well as the Downy Woodpeckers made themselves scarce for nearly 2 weeks after the presence of the hawk around our woods but now they are all returned. We have Ravens, really large ravens and a Bald Eagle who frequent the area and the ravens most likely ran the hawk off.

These are the Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers the larger being the Northern Hairy.
 
#11 ·
Buzzards are opportunists but can and will take fully grown rabbits and are quite capable of a peregrine-esc. stoop when needed.I kept a captive bred female buzzard for many years and Lucia (buzzard) would sometimes surprise me what she would tackle including rabbits,grey squirrel,pigeon crows and once to her shame a lady’s Yorkshire terrier during a flying display.I got her weight down to 2lb4oz and she was up for anything and I did manage to keep Yorkies off the menu.
 

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