Buzzard Success!!!!!!

This morning was a bit special, very special in fact.  I had my laptop with me in the pit hide out near the wood and I had already blogged about the comings and goings to the feeders.  There wasn't  too much going on to be honest then suddenly I caught sight of a Buzzard gliding in to the wood in the field to my right.  I had taken a frozen rabbit with me and it was on the log where I had placed an hour earlier.  I cursed to myself and thought it odd that the buzzards were not coming to the free offerings.  Surely a rabbit carcass is an attractive meal for any scavenging bird of prey, especially a species that is known to eat rabbit.  I sat quietly for another 30 minutes and had forgotten the buzzard totally. Suddenly there on the grass in front of me was  the Buzzard!   At first it was just on the grass and then  gradually and cautiously it made it's way towards the rabbit.  My lens was already pointing out of the small gap in the pit hide and I waited with my heart beating heavily as it came up to the carcass.  Then suddenly here it was (as above).  It was exactly 13 paces from me (I paced it out later) and I was very careful not to move the lens too much and spook the bird who was behaving very cautiously as you would expect.  I didn't have a perfect view of the log where the rabbit was and there was some grass and debris in the way.  Even worse, I had underestimated the size of the bird and I couldn't easily get it all in the frame.  It was very frustrating but exciting to watch the bird so close to me. It was a magnificent creature with piercing eyes and long talons.  It began to feed on the rabbit and I could see that it wasn't finding it too easy. The rabbit was still frozen so it was impossible for the buzzard to take big pieces of meat.   After a while it dragged the carcass off the log and then in the grass began to get stuck in.  It was getting small pieces of meat and when I checked much later I could see that it had taken meat from the rabbit's face and skull.  Then I saw it with a detached foot in its beak which it swallowed whole, bones and all, with very little trouble. Then it took a break  and stood resting on the log low to the ground and I watched and took a few more photos during the next 20 minutes.  Eventually with little fuss, off it flew. I eventually emerged from the hide, I had half expected it to come and drink at the pool, wouldn't that have been something.

It started to feed.

It was taking small pieces of meat of the face of the rabbit.

The only way I was going to get all the bird in the frame was face on.

Eventually it tore off a leg and swallowed it whole, bones and all.

When the sun came out I managed a great portrait.

Buzzards are magnificent and too big to get all in the frame unfortunately. I rarely go to the hide with just one lens and it was Murphy's law today when I really needed the smaller lens.