buzzards

[Gadge-it]

Just gettin my pheasents and the buzzards are starting to nack them i don't think that there's anything i can do,has anyone else had the same problem

[lordripon]

I had it last year....not good, the only way I found to slow them down was to feed them rabbits ! I just kept shooting rabbits and leaving them in the field next to the pen, I figured a full buzzard is a happy buzzard ! it worked to some extent.

as soon as the birds are big enough to be off the buzzards menu I packed it up.

[ColinF]

I also had this last season. I found hanging CD's on fishing line in the open areas of the pen worked. I have also heard of people hanging up feed bags.

 

Unfortunately, there are even more buzzards around this year, and we now have at least one pair of red kite's. Will the kite's cause problems with pheasant poults?

[robbiep]

Always had a lot of luck with diversionary feeding with rabbit/pigeon

[Berettacocker]

CDs work for a while ( tawny owls too ) but if you can keep raptors crops full you'll be fine till poults are large enough to put birds off. Buzzards and Kites also a problem if they hang about near cover strips as the pheasants are reluctant to enter strips while they are about. Seen many an empty drive when buzzards have been in nearby trees first thing! :(

[rich1985]

BBC radio 2 and CDs also that red and white warning tape type stuff over the top of the pen from corner to corner and across it as much as you can seems to work for me! I have several buzzards and now a few red kite in my pen areas regularly now, get my birds in a month in full scale prep at the moment!

[norfolk dumpling]

Interesting as down in deepest Sth Norfolk buzzards seem to have disappeared. We regularly had 5-6 every day around our property, plus on my day job driving used to see several, but over the last couple of months few and infrequent. Wondered if this was the breeding season changing flight patterns/appearances but thinking about it last year it was quite upsetting to see several testing nesting sites nearby and a wood with tall poplars were selected for the 3rd year running. We are between 2/3 woods and there have been no nesting attempts - any idea where they are or has someone else got our share??

[la bala]

We have quite a few in fenland now.

[Gamefarm]

Interesting here also........ seem to be fewer Buzzards and Kites on our patch at the moment than in recent seasons. Many many more rats and fox population is on the up too, so swings and roundabouts

[Berettacocker]

Interesting as down in deepest Sth Norfolk buzzards seem to have disappeared. We regularly had 5-6 every day around our property, plus on my day job driving used to see several, but over the last couple of months few and infrequent. Wondered if this was the breeding season changing flight patterns/appearances but thinking about it last year it was quite upsetting to see several testing nesting sites nearby and a wood with tall poplars were selected for the 3rd year running. We are between 2/3 woods and there have been no nesting attempts - any idea where they are or has someone else got our share??

is the food available for them in your area?

[ColinF]

Interesting here also........ seem to be fewer Buzzards and Kites on our patch at the moment than in recent seasons. Many many more rats and fox population is on the up too, so swings and roundabouts

 

At least you can do something about the rats and foxes

[Gadge-it]

Just started to put bags on ropes across the pens from tree to tree see if that helps

[scotslad]

 

At least you can do something about the rats and foxes

 

Eactly

 

I have used bags (i'm not sure bags move enough, dunno wot other think?) in past but find cd's esp when hung from string criss crossing across open parts of pen, as well as adding loads of brash. I have even hand dug small areas for tiny cover crops and sown and transplanted reed canary grass.

Last year we used kids seaside windmills and found them to work well, plenty of movement and nice and bright/reflective. Tied some on string but mainly stuck stick down the wire fence

 

Must admit does seem to be working and can suffer the few losses now, althou we have had large numbers spooked over the wire by Gossy's? not killing any/many but pushing them over wire, if really young not good as often wander off and starve. And they can be very jumpy when u look them

 

The problem u have with diversonary feeding is u are also encouraging/ feeding so more young will survive, not easy stuck between a rock and a hard place.

[norfolk dumpling]

No shortage of food here - plenty of pheasant and partridge broods. We are in the middle of a big shoot where many 'ooo's of birds put down by a very wealthy guy who basically takes on small farms/former shoots with potential and then rather floods the area with birds. This leaves a big surplus - you should see my garden in late autumn! This spring plenty of nest in my rough bits and several pheasant eggs just dropped on my lawn edges. Getting back to buzzards been out in the garden for several hours over the past few days and only heard one, not seen any. Who's got them?

[rich1985]

I must have!! See at least 6 to 10 every day, 2 red kites yesterday too! Last year I put my birds to pen and within an hour there was a buzzard perched in a hawthorn bush staring in the pen. I lose pheasants to buzzards every year and I'm sure this year will be the same.

[Colc08]

Plagued with them where I am. (Red Kites) I once counted 60 + going into one roosting wood one evening and there is another roosting wood about 5 miles away where if you go down in the late afternoon/early evening its nothing to see 40-50 sitting around in the trees around the fields.

 

There is a landfill site close by too where it has been said that anything up to 200 of them are feeding on. I can't confirm that has have not been up there

 

They did a big release program here about 10-12 years ago and the population has exploded way beyond what they expected I would think.

 

But its OK because they only eat carion.........and there must be plenty about to feed that lot right?.........

[norfolk dumpling]

Not many kites around here (yet!) although I saw a couple near Bungay a few weeks back so its only a matter of time but the absence of buzzards puzzling me. Few houses where I live, I'm midway between two large (3-5000 acre) estates and as mentioned earlier no shortage of food. Saw a couple in Nth Norfolk (Field Dalling) this week and 3-4 on my way to Peterborough a few weeks back so I haven't forgotten what they look like.

[Alycidon]

Plagued with them where I am. (Red Kites) I once counted 60 + going into one roosting wood one evening and there is another roosting wood about 5 miles away where if you go down in the late afternoon/early evening its nothing to see 40-50 sitting around in the trees around the fields.

 

There is a landfill site close by too where it has been said that anything up to 200 of them are feeding on. I can't confirm that has have not been up there

 

They did a big release program here about 10-12 years ago and the population has exploded way beyond what they expected I would think.

 

But its OK because they only eat carion.........and there must be plenty about to feed that lot right?.........

200 Red kites !!, god help you. Only thing you can maybe do is hammer the vermin on the tip site and give them something to eat.

 

A

[norfolk dumpling]

Saw a buzzard yesterday - first for several months around here. It seemed to be checking out last year's nest site. I was out with the dogs for 30minutes or so and only the one appeared although it did hang about for a while.

[KFC]

We've got loads of Buzzards and Kites round here. It's all very well re-introducing species but nobody will take responsibility for any problems caused as a result.

 

A neighbouring keeper lost loads of birds last year simply because Buzzards were sitting on, or near, his pens which was driving the birds away from drinkers and feeders.

 

One thing we have done is build lots of conifer 'tepees' in our pens so the birds can hide underneath them if BoP are around. We also use old fencing panels the same and, where possible, we build corrugated tin shelters over the feeders and drinkers.

When there's no threat around then the birds love perching on these structures.

[norfolk dumpling]

Still few and far between, another came over earlier this week but still no sign of the 5-6 we had last year and indeed back in March/April when we thought we were getting another nest behind our cottage. Creosoting partridge pens yesterday 4-5 miles from house didn't see one either. Saw a marsh harrier and a lovely Roebuck but no buzzards.

[Scully]

The pens we inherited had at one time had wire stretched across them and some type of scrim netting thrown over the top. The conifers that were planted at the time have now made this job impossible (unless we cut them down) but now act as cover/shade for the birds, and somewhere for them to roost. I think we've lost more to Owls and Badgers than Buzzards but I don't begrudge the Owls a few.

There are about 4 or 5 resident Buzzards and we're always torn between diversionary feeding (which ensures their survival) and burying any shot vermin we can't use so they are starved, which of course means they will predate our birds if no alternative. Once the birds are big enough Buzzards aren't a problem, but they're still a threat to late or second broods.

[Maddaftspaniel]

I put up a giant picture of Alec Salmond.....................scared everything for miles

[norfolk dumpling]

Helping our p/t keeper yesterday - 4/5miles from home - and it seems the little dears may have camped out on our shoot!! Keeper nearly got hit by one cutting through a hole in the hedge chasing a red leg. Thought they only eat worms and mice??

[Paul223]

Helping our p/t keeper yesterday - 4/5miles from home - and it seems the little dears may have camped out on our shoot!! Keeper nearly got hit by one cutting through a hole in the hedge chasing a red leg. Thought they only eat worms and mice??

And carrion, the red leg was soon to be carrion!