The Common Buzzard by Sean Walls & Robert Kenwood

Poyser Hardback - £60.00 and paperback - £35.00 304 pages

It is like buses coming along. Tubbs Buzzard came out in 1974 and after a long wait we have 2 books in five years with Dare’s ‘The life of Buzzard in 2015 and now this one. This book is so different to the 2015 book with the authors often taking another line on how Buzzards should be managed!

Wallis and Kenwood claim that this raptor could be the commonest BOP in the world through their work but don’t add that expansions of Eagle Owl and White tailed Eagle could have an effect on the Buzzard’s numbers with 16 young Buzzards being brought to just one White tailed Eagle nest as food. Buzzards fell 50% in the Black Forest in Germany when Eagle Owl was reintroduced!

There was a staggering 56,157 voles removed by Buzzards in an area of 30 sq kilometres in Europe while Buzzards can go 8 – 10 days without food! When it comes to game birds young Buzzards are more likely to be found at Pheasant pens especially when adults are removed but no mention of ways of disrupting the Buzzards from taking Pheasants at pens by using electric shock as used in USA! Cumbria had a 28 year old Buzzard while Wales beat this by 2 years with a 30 year old bird! They had no dates for first egg laying when I had a bird laying on 23rd April from a nest viewed from my house! If you missed the Dare book then this one is certainly worth a read.