Flanders Moss, Blawhorn Moss & Loch Lomond NNR
The Common buzzard (Buteo buteo) is one of the most common and widespread birds of prey in the UK, which funnily enough can be seen at all three of our National Nature Reserves.
This raptor is a daytime hunter, mainly looking for small mammals and will also feed on carrion (dead animals). You may notice a Common buzzard perched on a fence post or soaring slowly over open farm land when driving into any of the three reserves.
Before the breeding season, March – May, the male will attract and try to impress the female by putting on a performance with some impressive aerial displays. At the end of the day, any female without an existing mate will have to choose which male is worthy of helping produce her chicks. With the amount of buzzards I notice out and about, this could be a challenge for the female as once she has chosen the one, she will be stuck with him!
The common buzzard mates for life, so the male will need to be on top form with his manoeuvres . I believe this Common buzzard in the pictures is of a female due to it being rather chunky (purely for amusement) shaking her body in disbelief at the male’s poor performance! But we are not yet near the month of March and she was purely drying off as it was rather a wet day.
2 bogs, a swamp and some islands 