Buzzards at the nest – Part 1

If it wasn’t complicated it would be easy, and if it was easy it wouldn’t be interesting. That certainly applies to our Buzzard watching.

In an established territory the Common Buzzard is likely to have several nests that the pair use interchangeably. Over the last two or three years of watching the pair over Woodcock Wood we decided to make an effort to find their nest.

Finding the nest

We had found one likely looking nest early in the year, but it showed no evidence of recent occupation. And then, by luck on the 26th June, we discovered their current one, and subsequently indeed two more close by. How had we missed them before!?

We set up a small hide to watch the nest, not easy in the confines of the Corsican Pines. The height meant an excruciating position for body and camera, and the position of the sun meant mornings only for photos. 

We watched the nest over three days. Initially we debated whether there was one or two chicks. A single fluffy white head occasionally appeared, and after several hours two revealed themselves, but to have confirmed this without the camera would have been difficult from our vantage point.

Care in the nest and feeding the young

We saw little of the adult female. She was often deep in the nest and reliant entirely on the male. Her role is care of the young and defence of the nest against crows and other predators.

The female is a larger and stronger bird than the male, but he is the more agile of the two, and usually a more proficient hunter.

For the first three weeks or more he undertakes all the hunting, bringing back whatever large or small prey he can find. His time at the nest is brief, a matter of seconds in fact. He delivers the food and is gone, the female dismembers it and feeds it to the chicks.

Prey can be anything from rabbit to voles and small birds. Young rabbits are preferred, but if in short supply, anything will pass. Obviously if prey items are small they have to be plentiful. 

At about the time the chicks reach five weeks, she will venture out occasionally to hunt. But the male still brings in most of the food.

In more than 10 hours of observation we only saw the male visit once, which was worrying.

Developments over the next five days

During our second session, over the 1st and 2nd July things had moved on. Now the female was spending most of the time perched at various vantage points within a few metres of the nest. It took a little time before the first chick appeared. It had developed considerably over the 5 days. It had lost most of the white down from its head. 

Although it still spent a fair amount of time hunkered down in the nest, when it appeared it was actively climbing and stretching its wings. It was also quite vocal at times.

Survival of buzzard nestlings

At the end of ten hours of watching, there had been no sign of a second chick in the nest, and we had to conclude the second had gone. No doubt a shortage of food coming into the nest would mean hunger setting in, driving the older sibling to harass and peck the younger until it succumbed from weakness and injury … and yes it was also likely to have been eaten with help from the adult.

It is difficult not to be emotional about the birds we are watching. We want to see the best outcome, as defined in our terms. To realise that one chick was now missing was somehow upsetting. But to the buzzard this isn’t the case. If the female can dismember and feed her second born chick to her first born, we have to dismiss the idea of close emotional bonding between adult and off-spring. Their life is basically about survival.

We will be updating this over the next few weeks. We estimate that the surviving chick is now between 30 and 35 days old judging from its plumage and behaviour, and the behaviour of the female. If it survives, it is likely to fledge at about 45 days.

“In the fourth week, feathers are appearing on the upper body, rump and wing coverts, but the breast and head, except for the ear coverts, are still downy … at a month old plumage development has now entered a rapid phase … by the fifth week the upper parts are now completely covered and thus “weatherproof” … During the sixth week the remaining gaps are filled…” pp 112.

Peter Dare “The Life of Buzzards”

Interpreting what we see from plumage and behaviour is difficult. We have relied heavily on Peter Dare’s observations and research, but even then it is tricky. However it is this type of observing that distinguishes between bird spotting and identification, and trying to understand more about bird species, their complexities, and magic.

Follow on with:

Buzzards at the Nest – Part 2 – Fledging

See also:

• https://woodcockwood.com/https://woodcockwood.com/the-common-buzzard/)
• https://woodcockwood.com/our-go-to-books/ 

For Site Index and Full List of Birds Discussed:

• https://woodcockwood.com/site-contents-and-index/