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swift

Swifts Drinking

Sunday 5th August 2001, West Yorkshire

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swiftsswift drinking A SMALL FLOCK of Swifts is circling over the canal this morning. They swoop down, one or two at a time and trail their beaks in the water. It looks as if they are drinking, rather than aiming to snap up insect prey.

Buzzard

buzzard circling In the afternoon, a larger bird circles high over the valley. Usually it would be gulls circling, but this bird is on its buzzard divingown and appears to soar more than a gull. I grab my binoculars and discover that it's a Buzzard. It has a light underwing with brown tips. As I watch it pulls in its wings and dives divingsteeply down into the valley, emptying its wings of air, like a lapwing does as it dives, turning from glider to dive-bomber.

Buzzards are not frequent visitors in this part of the Calder valley. I think this is only the second time I've recorded one during the three years that I've been keeping this diary, and the previous record was probably honey buzzard on migration. next page

Related Link

Common Buzzard by Guy N. Smith, Birds of Britain, bird guide.

Richard Bell
buzzard Richard Bell,
wildlife illustrator
E-mail; 'richard@willowisland.co.uk'


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