Buzzards and Crows
Discussion
My route to work takes me through some "countryside" near Binfield towards Twyford and a few times I've seen a couple of Buzzards (I think) sitting in very close proximity to a Murder of Crows (first time I've been able to use that in the right context) in a ploughed field.
The Raptors are concentrating on seemingly pulling stuff up from the mud but they are amongst at least 15 crows. Is this normal behaviour? I thought that perhaps the crows are taking the view that if they're sitting right next to them then the Buzzards aren't going to eat them?
I've seen it in a couple of fields.
Any ideas????
The Raptors are concentrating on seemingly pulling stuff up from the mud but they are amongst at least 15 crows. Is this normal behaviour? I thought that perhaps the crows are taking the view that if they're sitting right next to them then the Buzzards aren't going to eat them?
I've seen it in a couple of fields.
Any ideas????
Crows are generally very irksome to crows, they don't like them. I've seen a buzzard pinned down by a bunch of 7-10 crows just because they were in the same feeding patch. Í've seen the bigger individual buzzard regularly pushed out by a group of cooperating crows. I've also seen a white crow, wonder if anyone else has?
The buzzard isn't really a predatory bird like a sparrowhawk. It mostly feeds on carrion as stated above. Lazy feckers too. Most big birds like crows, magpies etc don't fear the buzzard as it's not that fast to swoop down or that agile in the air. it mostly soars, looking for pickings.
Boosted LS1 said:
Buzzards are lazy birds so will eat anything edible on the ground. They won't hunt a Crow, in fact it's quite common to see Crows mobbing them.
Earth worms are a particular favourite which is why you often see Buzzards in ploughed fields. Worms must taste like meat to a Buzzard. PositronicRay said:
In medieval times birds of prey were used as lure, tethered to the ground.
Still doYou can buy plastic owl decoys to pull the crows in
They are weird, weird birds. There's a tree opposite our house where a multi species (crows rooks magpies and jackdaws) 'parliament' meets regularly
daved said:
Earth worms are a particular favourite which is why you often see Buzzards in ploughed fields. Worms must taste like meat to a Buzzard.
Worms *are* meat. They are just a collection of muscles. You can live on them if you have to. Indeed one of the Marines/Special Forces training exercises has them digging up worms and cooking them, usually after 2 days in the open, by which time the troops are starving and ready to eat anything.I live in Leeds, we get red kites to the north of us. When I'm out in that area I often see crows ganging up in kites and chasing them out of their favourite feeding areas. It's really gratifying to see the kites sufficiently successful that the crows feel the need to chase them off.
I like crows, in fact all corvids. They're clever, resourceful and as hard as nails.
battered said:
Worms *are* meat. They are just a collection of muscles. You can live on them if you have to. Indeed one of the Marines/Special Forces training exercises has them digging up worms and cooking them, usually after 2 days in the open, by which time the troops are starving and ready to eat anything.
I live in Leeds, we get red kites to the north of us. When I'm out in that area I often see crows ganging up in kites and chasing them out of their favourite feeding areas. It's really gratifying to see the kites sufficiently successful that the crows feel the need to chase them off.
I like crows, in fact all corvids. They're clever, resourceful and as hard as nails.
My father had a pet crow on the farm as a kid. It could talk. He also had a pet goose called Iorwerth after my taid. Iorwerth had a wooden leg. The bird not my taid. My dad's taid had a wooden leg though. Lost it in a quarry accident. His real leg, not the wooden one.I live in Leeds, we get red kites to the north of us. When I'm out in that area I often see crows ganging up in kites and chasing them out of their favourite feeding areas. It's really gratifying to see the kites sufficiently successful that the crows feel the need to chase them off.
I like crows, in fact all corvids. They're clever, resourceful and as hard as nails.
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