I think I saw three buzzards last Sunday in south Galway. The first one has little more than a half-glimpse as it disappeared from view and the second one was in view for just a moment or two before flying out of view, with a rook chasing it. I got a good view of the third one (above) even though it didn’t get much time to rest either. Ever time I see a buzzard, it is almost always being harrassed by another bird species – usually a corvid. I spotted the buzzard perched on a pole by the roadside as I was driving back to Galway. As I passed it, it flew across the road to a nearby hawthorn bush, and I was able to pull in nearby, with a clear view. I didn’t have long – even as I was lining up a small camera to take some pictures, a couple of magpies ‘staged an intervention’ and drove it off.
