The arcane world of falconry is infamous for a snobbery that dates back to the medieval period, when different raptors were pegged to a hierarchical list of feudal stations. So the noble peregrine was for princes, the dainty merlin was milady’s bird, and – as we know from Barry Hines’s novel – it was just […]
Tag: Bird of Prey
White-tailed Eagle (Haliaectus albicilla) – Danube Delta, Romania, May 2013
During this month’s group tour to The Danube Delta we we had returned to our floating ‘pnton’ or hotel which was berthed on one of the many tributaries and courses of the old Danube, relaxing with a beer on the mid-deck when this lovely adult White-tailed Eagle flew towards the boat and landed directly opposite […]
Red Kite
Milvus milvus – Accipitridae – Accipitriformes One of the few winterers in our area, south of France. We have set up a feeding station for these birds since last year’s cold spell in Febuary. Indeed for 3 weeks, temperatures had plummeted to -15 and unfortunately, many species of birds were decimated. We managed to help […]
Common Buzzard……whats in a name?
The Common Buzzard – Buteo buteo is a hawk and the most common bird of prey in the United Kingdom. The name Buzzard will present no ambiguity to most Europeans but to those speaking English in the “new world” confusion will have immediately set in! The word “Buzzard” in the USA is a broad term […]