Buzzards

[User00025]

Buzzards are now everywhere in large numbers,nobody can convince me they got to the Midlands and East Anglia without a lot of introductions.
They are an absolute pain and Kites are getting as bad. Nothing to see four or five of each circling over a game crop in this area. Eagle Owls will take them and will also take Goshawks off roost but never been sure if it's ok to fly a bird at them, as technically it would not be you killing them but just a free flying more powerful raptor.

 

[bullet chucker]

Buzzards are now everywhere in large numbers,nobody can convince me they got to the Midlands and East Anglia without a lot of introductions.
They are an absolute pain and Kites are getting as bad. Nothing to see four or five of each circling over a game crop in this area. Eagle Owls will take them and will also take Goshawks off roost but never been sure if it's ok to fly a bird at them, as technically it would not be you killing them but just a free flying more powerful raptor.

Either way I would love to witness that event.

 

[User00025]

Either way I would love to witness that event.

I did know someone who did it a few years ago with success, he was ill later and I don't know if he is still alive as I lost contact 10 years ago. "No names no packdrill" !!!

 

[Pedro]

The rise of buzzards I recall started around the time of foot and mouth. Lots less people roaming around the countryside, leaving prey species and carrion to them, creating ideal conditions. Generally this seemed to show a downturn in smaller birds of prey such as the kestrel. Recently, the balance seems to be getting more reasonable I think. And then along came the red kite. Oh well...

 

[Woodsmoke]

Surprisingly clever for a South Devon bird

Heh heh heh. Closer to the mark than many would appreciate. And I speak from experience of a couple of South Devon birds (although sadly on different occasions )

 

[Taff]

I had success by feeding dead squirrels/ rabbits to our buzzards, we would start about a month before the birds arrived and feed well away from the pens and continue until the birds were big enough to not be bothered, the only problem is that young buzzards can get dependent on this feeding and the sudden cut off can result in a higher mortality rate of young buzzards.

 

[Mickeydredd]

Eagle Owls will take them and will also take Goshawks off roost but never been sure if it's ok to fly a bird at them, as technically it would not be you killing them but just a free flying more powerful raptor.

That would be illegal.

 

[Pedro]

That would be illegal.

Haha. "It wasn't me that killed that buzzard, Your honour. It was the pellets that came out of my gun. I had no control of them once they left the end of my barrel."

 

[keeperstweed]

When the birds leave the pen or coming and going makes them more vulnerable to buzzard predation.
I have lost loads over the last few years, in the pen and out in the fields and its very distressing as guns are paying for these birds to be reared.
It seem to me the only answer to this problem is get a new hobby !!!

 

[norma 308]

try keeping them well fed ,try using the buzzard as a dogging in tool by putting dead rabbits on your boundaries well away from pens but only if you have them already you dont wanna be inviting them
Norma

 

[tweedbreeks]

Why not apply for a license? By the sound of most of the comments on here most people have tried everything under the sun to deter them. If more licenses were applied for it would show the scale of the problem.

 

[nick.308]

shoot lots of rabbits etc to feed them

 

[tweedbreeks]

I think thats the totally wrong thing to do, no wonder the population is increasing. A lot of these Buzzards would be dying naturally of starvation during the autumn and winter and instead people are feeding them through it to breed again in the spring and produce more buzzards. We should be practising leaving no waste at all in my opinion.

 

[keeperstweed]

shoot lots of rabbits etc to feed them

In my neck of the woods, we aint got many rabbits too shoot.....

 

[norma 308]

In my neck of the woods, we aint got many rabbits too shoot.....

and there lies one of the problems .
a pal of mine commented on the rabbits we have on the shoot .......how many rabbits do you know eat pheasants was my reply
norma

 

[badbob]

Figure in your potential losses in your release plans . Say 2 a day over 60 days equal 120 birds. So if you put only100 birds in a pen there won't be many left after 2 months. Move your pens onto new ground each year. You want lots of cover. Constant attention for the first few days. Scarecrow s or just face masks. Pens should be as large as possible so birds can fly away without actually flying out of the pen too soon.
If you shoot 30 percent then you are doing OK,. 40 percent good, 50 percent brilliant, down to 20 percent and you are not really viable. To a certain extent you have to accept you are giving a free meal to the local predators. Work out what the cost per bird in the bag is to see if it's worthwhile.
Buzzards can be the least of you worries if you've got mad dogs,trespassers,thieves, poachers, vandals, antis.a and all the other problems we get.

 

[old keeper]

A keeper colleague started shooting rabbits at night and leaving them out for the buzzards, it certainly worked because within a week or so there were buzzards coming in from every direction. by the time the foxes, badgers etc. had cleaned up the rabbits they were soon on the lookout for something else and the poults got a right hammering.
I tried pretty well all the suggestions that others have posted and found that buzzards, like most wildlife soon get used to deterrent's unless they are moved on a regular basis. As I said before as far as I was concerned they were a worse pain than foxes.

 

[mudman]

I know my fair share of game keepers, and play at it myself, and I do not know a single one who has had problems with Buzzards killing pheasants ?!?

I have had experience of them getting stuck into released redlegs but never the pheasants.

Now sparrowhawks, absolute murder on wild Grey partridge when they pair up, and will decimate released partridge.

Give me half a dozen Buzzards over one hen Sparrowhawk any time.

 

[Ratc]

Mudman, it's not just the fact of Buzzards killing pheasant "directly" ! The indirect consequence is that poults will starve rather than feed if a buzzard is in the vicinity, being afraid to move from cover !
Quiet heartbreaking to be picking dead poults with breasts like razor blades, stress is a terrible thing.
As someone said to me "would you venture out if there was an Apache helicopter in the overhead" ?

 

[User00025]

I know my fair share of game keepers, and play at it myself, and I do not know a single one who has had problems with Buzzards killing pheasants ?!?

I have had experience of them getting stuck into released redlegs but never the pheasants.

Now sparrowhawks, absolute murder on wild Grey partridge when they pair up, and will decimate released partridge.

Give me half a dozen Buzzards over one hen Sparrowhawk any time.

I agree to a certain extent,Spars are the worst at Pairing time for Greys and I always found that the little B.....s killed the hen bird nearly every time. However our local buzzards slaughter both pheasant and partridge poults,also leverets and Kites are now regularly killing both partridge and wee leverets.