Two buzzards hunting in our ash tree

Whilst working at my desk today two large shadowy patches appeared to briefly block the light outside my window. I looked up and then crossed the few feet to the window and saw buzzards between our house and the ash tree at the end of the garden.

I watched circling around and then flying off a little way before returning in a grand arc. They were mewing characteristically and before long the squawking of crows and magpies filled the air. I quickly went downstairs to get my camera and then remembered I’d seen a buzzard the day before also quite low and close to the house.

When I got back to my vantage point camera in hand, and opened the window, the ‘birds had flown’ of course. I waited and stood there simply enjoying looking out on an early afternoon in late summer. Then they returned and flew just a couple of feet over the top of the ash tree’s topmost branches and started loud calling whilst circling.

I watched and took pictures. Eventually one of them landed in the ash tree despite the presence of several perched and angry magpies and crows. It hopped about close to the trunk and then flew straight downwards towards the second buzzard which appeared in front of it from a different direction, with all their wings outstretched.

They then flew up and away over the top of the ash tree, and I saw in the first birds claws there was something dark as well as some twigs. I’ve guessed there was a young bird or possibly a baby squirrel in a nest which they’d successfully raided.

I’ve added a few of the pictures as ‘Extras’, in time order. I’m not really sure which I should blip and will choose one when i post them. Looking at the state of their feathers, I think there was an adult, with rather damaged and a few missing feathers, and a juvenile in pristine condition,. Was this a training exercise? There are usually at least four buzzards in The Horns valley, in which we live, but I haven’t seen them any since then.