What a gorgeous story to read. Buzzards are wonderful birds, I think maybe my favourite bird of prey. I love watching them hover on thermals and when you hear their amazing sharp chirp through a forest. So wonderful to be near a nesting pair!
Fascinating. We had a flock of buzzards who all landed in a huge dead tree on their way wherever. It was so very strange, we we all outdoors watching for them to leave!
Ahh I love this, Laura. What a beautiful piece of nature writing. You're inspiring me with my new endeavour!
I've only in the past year or so become acquainted with buzzards. When we moved to the sticks and I first started seeing them I was thrilled. I had never knowingly seen a bird of prey in the wild before and they are just so majestic aren't they? One flew right across our garden with a creature in its beak and I got that heart flutter of witnessing wildness up close.
We see them a lot now, so it's not quite as heart stopping. But I still feel hugely privileged to observe them circling and hear their resonant calls. Sometimes we'll pull out our binoculars so we can look at the beautiful feather patterns of their outstretched wings from below.
They are so majestic! Now that I look for them, it seems strange to me that I could ever have missed them. You have definitely inspired me to get some binoculars...
Oh what a lovely read, the buzzards through the seasons and your changing moods. We see a buzzard in 'our quiet space' a field where we take our son' s Pup. We're always thrilled, the call is a mewling. I watched Judi Dench seeing golden eagles for the first time, very moving.
So lovely! I am trying to learn to identify birds of prey at the moment, I always feel there is so much I don’t know, but the majesty of them, the way they move, the way we must be so tiny to them always makes me pause.
Yes! I feel this too. I only really know buzzards, red kites and kestrels by sight–I would love to get better. The buzzards on the hill flew into my life unexpectedly one day, and I'm so glad of it.
What a beautiful piece! We used to holiday every year on a farm that straddled the Welsh border. They kept a buzzard in a small aviary that had been injured and couldn’t fly anymore. Throwing dead mice and rabbits into its cage was the closet I felt to living in Jurassic Park - they are such strange and gorgeous creatures.
I used my Merlin app recently to identify the buzzards call, and now I know what it is I've been hearing it so frequently. It's wonderfully evocative, maybe even a little melancholic. But it always makes me stop and take notice now whenever I hear it.
We don't get the Buteo buteo kind here in Virginia, but locals like my husband, call the turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) buzzards. Presumably this came about because they too like to circle on the thermals!
We do get hawks though, and occasionally I spy a bald eagle pair really high up, circling for a while.
I love how your buzzards provide touch-points throughout the year for you♥️
What a gorgeous story to read. Buzzards are wonderful birds, I think maybe my favourite bird of prey. I love watching them hover on thermals and when you hear their amazing sharp chirp through a forest. So wonderful to be near a nesting pair!
Oh my gosh, what amazing buzzard magic! I've only ever seen them high up in the open sky, circling, watching from a higher perspective.
They fly so high, don’t they? The view from up there must be incredible. Thank you for reading. 💫
Fascinating. We had a flock of buzzards who all landed in a huge dead tree on their way wherever. It was so very strange, we we all outdoors watching for them to leave!
What a sight! Thank you for reading Diane.
Happy SubStack birthday! Your book still remains one of my favourites for creative inspiration 💜
Oh thank you so much, I'm so delighted to hear that.
Ahh I love this, Laura. What a beautiful piece of nature writing. You're inspiring me with my new endeavour!
I've only in the past year or so become acquainted with buzzards. When we moved to the sticks and I first started seeing them I was thrilled. I had never knowingly seen a bird of prey in the wild before and they are just so majestic aren't they? One flew right across our garden with a creature in its beak and I got that heart flutter of witnessing wildness up close.
We see them a lot now, so it's not quite as heart stopping. But I still feel hugely privileged to observe them circling and hear their resonant calls. Sometimes we'll pull out our binoculars so we can look at the beautiful feather patterns of their outstretched wings from below.
They are so majestic! Now that I look for them, it seems strange to me that I could ever have missed them. You have definitely inspired me to get some binoculars...
Beautiful reflections ... the buzzards’ calls connect our previous home in Wales with our rural setting here in France.
Oh I love that they are a connective sound for you!
Joining Nature's dots here ... we are very rural here ... this evening there was a young deer by our little copse of fruit trees
This was just the most magical journey through the seasons with the buzzards high above. Thank you so much for sharing!
Oh I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, thank you so much for reading. 💫
Oh what a lovely read, the buzzards through the seasons and your changing moods. We see a buzzard in 'our quiet space' a field where we take our son' s Pup. We're always thrilled, the call is a mewling. I watched Judi Dench seeing golden eagles for the first time, very moving.
How lovely to have a quiet space with just the buzzards’ mewling for company. Thank you for reading Jude.
So lovely! I am trying to learn to identify birds of prey at the moment, I always feel there is so much I don’t know, but the majesty of them, the way they move, the way we must be so tiny to them always makes me pause.
Yes! I feel this too. I only really know buzzards, red kites and kestrels by sight–I would love to get better. The buzzards on the hill flew into my life unexpectedly one day, and I'm so glad of it.
Beautiful writing, the slow, repeating rhythm of this. I think the buzzards know that we watch them and that we are witnesses to each other’s lives.
Thank you! I would love to think so...
What a beautiful piece! We used to holiday every year on a farm that straddled the Welsh border. They kept a buzzard in a small aviary that had been injured and couldn’t fly anymore. Throwing dead mice and rabbits into its cage was the closet I felt to living in Jurassic Park - they are such strange and gorgeous creatures.
Oh wow, how incredible to get so close to one. They really are gorgeous.
Thank you for sharing these sightings.
Thank you so much for reading and for sharing.
So lovely. Thank you.
Thank you for reading!
I used my Merlin app recently to identify the buzzards call, and now I know what it is I've been hearing it so frequently. It's wonderfully evocative, maybe even a little melancholic. But it always makes me stop and take notice now whenever I hear it.
Yes! So evocative and melancholic! I love the Merlin app, it’s like magic! 💫
I've got my mum into it now too 😂
Mine too! 😁
We don't get the Buteo buteo kind here in Virginia, but locals like my husband, call the turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) buzzards. Presumably this came about because they too like to circle on the thermals!
We do get hawks though, and occasionally I spy a bald eagle pair really high up, circling for a while.
I love how your buzzards provide touch-points throughout the year for you♥️
Touch-points, yes that’s exactly it. Thank you for reading. How amazing to spot eagles. 🦅
Lovely
Thank you!