Buzzard

Buteo buteo by Arend from Oosterhout, Netherlands Licensed under CC BY 2.0

https://pdrmg.wordpress.com/gallery/buzzard-in-flight/

 by Mike Price

Yet another missed day on the blog! Sign of blog fatigue perhaps. Or it could have been the distraction of preparing for my elder daughter's 18th birthday party which was chez nous. Certainly the lateness of the finish and the current time are conspiring to make these two posts short and sweet.
So this is the Common Buzzard, Buteo buteo, the UK's commonest bird of prey, overtaking the Kestrel in the last 10 years. When I first moved to Lewes there were no buzzards nearby but now several pairs have territories in the surrounding area.
They have distinctively swept forward wings when soaring but it is often the even more distinctive mewing cry that draws one's attention.