The eye in the sky. in The odd entries from life …….

Last weekend when we still had clear sunny weather, I spent some time on the patio hoping to photograph the Buzzard’s, at times we see them gliding over the valley; much to high for my 200mm lens! On times I watch them with binoculars as they ride the thermals, and see them hang still looking down and then drop lower and stop still again, only to glide off; but once or twice they dive down out of sight – a rise up with food.

I have seen the larger seabirds chasing the Buzzards off, they seem to peck at the long feathers on the ends of the wings, I suppose this makes the Buzzards unsteady and less able to take eggs or chicks from the nests. The smaller birds like the crow family, fly low and fast going from tree to tree.

After a half hour a Buzzard hung in the air over our meadow, it was between branches of a tree, and for once the auto focus focused on the Buzzard not the new spring leafs; often the camera will focus on the larger object in view.

The Buzzard moved about, and then stopped hovering over a spot, its wings feeling the breeze as the eyes focused on the ground; something was about gathering food. The Buzzard moved on and that something below didn’t become food on that day. A longer lens would be useful, 200mm is a little short, with a 400mm lens I would use more of the full frame; these images are made with less than a quarter of the area captured.

Last updated May 25, 2014