Passing

Gliding in an unhurried way low over the Cotswolds late afternoon, 2 buzzards; wonderful to see.

Spotted whilst driving, I turned quickly into a small pull-in on the lane and watched whilst grabbing the camera.  These 2 buzzards slowly crisscrossed soaring over my head and then did a practise food pass to each other a couple of times, ready for the breeding season in April. 

They will pick up prey weighing about 500g either flying directly towards it, circling over it or standing on the floor hunting for invertebrates.  Unfortunately much illegal killing which is still ongoing is contributing to their decline plus the use of pesticides. Human interference causes the majority of nest failures which is a sad scenario. They are though our most common predator.