Buzzard (Buteo buteo)

Today these magnificent birds are a common sight in most areas of open countryside. They feed on small mammals and other animals. At one time ‘Buzzard pie’ was a common delicacy on Salisbury plain, today they are protected and their once dwindling numbers have literally ‘soared’.

They can often be viewed soaring high up in the air making close photographs difficult. If you can find places where they like to perch, you can wait and get shots as they take off and land. Use shutter speeds of 1/2000 of higher and an f stop of about f8 or higher depending on your lens and camera configuration.

We have taken several of these shots from hides at Slimbridge Wildlife and Wetlands trust (WWT) where in the open fields they regularly land on fence posts.