After the enjoyment of seeing the Hudsonian Godwit on Wednesday, I had a good day's rest on Thursday, before heading out this morning with Dad to Woolbeding Common in the hope of seeing quite a special bird of prey.
Upon arrival, a few Cuckoos could be heard calling, and a good number of birders, twenty I counted, were at the viewpoint looking out over the valley. It was quite a slow start, with quite a few Common Buzzards causing a bit of a stir, but no sign of the target species.
The view was absolutely breathtaking, and I often found myself just gazing into the distance, instead of looking at the birds! Quite a few Stock Doves were flying through, and a Yellowhammer perched on a bush, calling.
After a while, a distant bird of prey caught our attention. The very long tail and unusual appearance gave it away, yes, this was our bird- a European Honey Buzzard!
It circled around for a while toward Butser Hill, before heading our way, and coming pretty close, but very high.
The European Honey Buzzard is a pretty rare breeding bird in Britain, with Sussex being a stronghold in the south.
The bird continued to circle for a while before heading off, replaced by a Peregrine.
After the excitement of the Honey Buzzard, there was a bit of a lull, but a Sparrowhawk flew past.
After a while, another hawk flew along the ridge before diving quickly down into the trees. Due to its very chunky overall look and large size, it was presumably a Goshawk. The fun didn't stop there, however, as a very distant shape soon morphed into the shape of a White-tailed Eagle.
It was mobbed by two Red Kites, and below it, a few more Common Buzzards were circling, along with another small raptor that was probably a Hobby. The eagle continued to circle for a while, always staying very distant- not quite the views I had at Pulborough a week ago!
A Raven flew across the ridgeline, and a slightly peculiar raptor showed very briefly before disappearing below the line of trees, and sadly didn't surface again. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was flying around, and just one Cuckoo was calling now.
As the time drew near to leave, another Buzzard species was seen overhead- soon identified as another Honey Buzzard! It was relatively close to start with, but it immediately flew away from us, revealing another bird behind it- a second Honey Buzzard.
As the two were flying away, one of them started wing clapping- a very cool sight.
Nothing else seemed to be around really, and with our target species being seen, we headed home.
It had been great to see these wonderful birds of prey, and get yet another tick on my British list (these are not a lifer as I saw them in Spain last September). Although rather distant, it was still a great experience seeing them, and hopefully, we can get better views another time.
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