Day 183 - Beautiful Buzzards and Half a Year Special!

Hi all today's Day 183 and that means that today is halfway through my Year of Nature! Halfway is 182.5 days but I just rounded it up to 183. I didn't think that I'd make it through this far because of all my other commitments like music practise, performances and that sort of thing. I know that a lot of people say this when they reach a milestone but I have to admit that I couldn't have got this far without all of the encouragement of my supporters. As of when I wrote this sentence I have 32,826 views, 32 thousand! I never thought I'd get past 1,000. It's just astronomical the amount of people that are looking at my blog. Large scale organisations are looking at my posts like the RSPB and the BTO. I am also being featured in both on-line and real-life magazines like the RSPB Daily and the BBC Wildlife Magazine. Also, I have been invited to speak on BBC Radio York on the 27th May 2015 at 10:00 AM. If you can catch it, please do!

Before I get on with the post I just want to thank every single one of you that have read my posts, commented on them and supported me in any way.

Buzzard (Buteo buteo)

So, on every milestone I like to try to cover a raptor but no promises for Day 200...
Today, though, I thought I'd do quite a common-ish raptor that most people see quite a lot.  From the title and the pictures you'll probably know that I am covering Buzzards. I see quite a lot of them but they are very hard to get photos of. They are always sat nicely on a post or tree as I pass by in a car but not when I have my camera ready!

So, here are the facts:

• You know how above I said that they are a common-ish raptor? Well they are actually the most common and widespread raptor in the UK.

• Speaking of populations, they are a Green Status bird with 57,000-79,000 breeding pairs in the UK. The BTO gives a more exact number of 67,000 breeding pairs.

• Their breeding grounds are Northern Ireland and most of the rest of the UK but in the Winter they are more confined to the Eastern part of England.

Sat on a post in the fields near me.

• Their Latin name (Buteo buteo) means something quite simple. Buteo means the Buzzard so their name is the Buzzard.

• They have a length of 54cm and a wingspan of 120cm! That's only 15cm bigger than me! Finally, Males weigh 780g and Females weigh 1kg (1000g).

• They are found in all habitats but least commonly in towns. They are most common in Scrubs, Farmlands, Deciduous Woods and Coniferous Woods.

• Their diet is more varied that I thought.  It is mainly small mammals but they will also also eat birds, reptiles, large insects and earthworms.

Soaring above my village

•  They have a huge typical lifespans of 12 years but the oldest doubled this and more with 25 years, 6 months and 26 days.

• One of the easiest way of identifying a Buzzard in flight is its 'V' shaped wings. Another way is identifying how it flies. It usually just glides through the air.

• The collective noun for Buzzards is a wake, though I can't find where that comes from.  

Here are some links to some more information:

BTO Birdfacts - Buzzards

RSPB - Buzzards

Hope you enjoyed,

Z.