UKC

Eeck! Just saw this on the beeb, glad I don't live near that buzzard!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-65601462

I'd heard a second hand story about similar local to me (NW), peregrine with young I seem to remember. If nothing else, it's an incentive to chase the strava segment!

Oh dear!  

Here we go..... a call for all buzzards to be culled as they are potentially dangerous and could kill children, babies, dogs and old ladies...................


(yeh, I know.  We love nature until it annoys us)

I think you’ll find it’s Hen Harriers kill most children, not buzzards. In fact, 93% of a Hen Harriers diet is made up of babies and young children, and the remaining 85% is grouse chicks. 

I had a similar incident happen to me running in my local woods a few years ago. Thankfully no contact made, although it can't have been more than a few cm away.

The solution.. don't run through that part of the woods for a few weeks to give the chicks time to fledge.

Although when it swooped me, it did seem to continue to dive at me for at least another mile, which I thought was very unreasonable! Quite an unnerving feeling glancing behind to see it lining up for yet another bombing run.

That or bribe the local crows with snacks to act as bodyguards. The ones round here enjoy harrassing buzzards.

I did have a buzzard attack me once by dropping some rabbit/squrriel on me when I was cycling down a sunken lane. Startled it whilst it was having its lunch and whilst it did successfully take off holding it it then dropped it.

Maths apart, I totally agree. I've also heard (on Gamekeepers Weekly) that they're also responsible for bringing in illegal immigrants and running county lines drug rings. Makes my blood boil.

My friend was attacked from behind while running in Switzerland in open woodland near her house. She didn't know what species it was.  I saw a lot of red kites there.

There are usually buzzards over my garden, often being harrassed by other birds.  They don't seem agressive at all.

From the article...

Mr Cameron said the bird is notorious, having swooped in on him twice previously.

Err, doh!

If he knew that, then:

• Why was he running there again (this year, whatever)
• Or having decided to run there again, why was he not wearing a hat.

I've no sympathy for the holes in his head caused by lack of common sense.

A few years ago now, but one hit me from behind whilst I was mt biking through a wood. Talon marks were left in the polystyrene part of helmet. It came back speedily a couple of times so decided best was to stop under a tree for shelter. Waited for it to quieten down before making a fast pedal away opposite direction from the area where the buzzard had been screeching on top of a tree. I guess there was a nest/juvenile nearby that I had unknowingly biked past.

Bit uncharitable!

Maybe he had no idea how big an area the bird would defend this way and thought he was outside it. Maybe the previous encounters were somewhere different entirely. Maybe he had no idea that the bird was probably defending a nest and thought the attacks were random. Maybe he thought it was just warning him off and wouldn't actually come into contact.

The fact that it's made national news and nobody's yet piped up to say it happens all the time suggests it's not exactly a common thing that people should be expecting.

Maybe

He'd been previously swooped on not once but twice, and he knew the bird was notorious for this behaviour. Doesn't sound like the most prudent person around.

I have even had thoughts about it being staged (in the sense of him knowingly going into an area he knew would alarm and antagonize the buzzard) to try and get his 15 minutes of fame.

"The protected species' wingspan can vary from 48in (122cm) up to 60in (152cm)."

Have the been made a post-brexit editorial decision to prioritise outdated measuring systems?

Pish, for real aerial hostility try walking through an arctic term nesting site.

I always assumed we were safe from birds! I usually rejoice and admire birds of prey. Maybe now I will treat them with a little more suspicion!

I reckon he mew what he was doing. 

I heard of a similar incident in New Zealand. I reckon emu what he was doing. 

I heard of a similar incident involving a duck. I reckon he smew what he was doing. 

Given how many times it happened to him, I reckon it was his hobby.

I think you are flying a kite there.

This brought back a vivid memory of my dad and I being attacked by them on a beach (possibly on Shetland) - the large pieces of seaweed on the beach were held above our heads to encourage them to attack that and not our heads.

the same holiday I think that I was dive bombed by a bonxie.  
 

thankfull the buzzards I have met have been generally courteous.

I’ve just googled ‘uk bird attacks’ - I’ve changed my mind about birds.

Grebe-ous bodily harm?

You must still have to experience gulls near the sea if you are eating chips or whatever that they want to get from you 🫣😂.

Watch out if you ever enter Bonxie (Great Skua) territory. They are another bird that will attack - often silently from behind you so you can’t see them. Carrying a stick above your head used to stop them hitting your head (at least it did when I used to work in their territory) as they go for the highest point.

Some sage advice from Ivor Cutler (equally applicable to buzzards)…

https://www.last.fm/music/Ivor+Cutler/_/Jungle+Tip+-+Owl

Yes it was Iceland where they assaulted me and partner. They come at you from all directions but mainly from behind. I literally had my hair parted several times. Their beaks are formidably pointy. Skuas are so big you can see and hear them coming but I must admit they are very daunting when incoming.

Ballon on a stick would be good

Or anywhere in the vicinity of bonxies.  Just realised they get a mention upthread.

Could be worse  youtube.com/watch?v=XGFknyGKtao&

Not just cyclists or runners. We were attacked by a buzzard at Agden Rocher when going climbing. 

Serves me right for trying some esoteria

Bonxies or Great Skuas were common on the Shetlands and if/when I ran from work across the hill to the accommodation. The two nesting Skuas always went for me - and after a few times I could tell exactly when and where they'd leave their nest and come towards me.  I don't like annoying them so I took the hint normally.   But one day one of my work mates, who lived in darkest central London asked if he could run back with me, to which I agreed.   Now, he knew nothing about birds other than pigeons, sparrows and starlings.    

So...... as we were running back, I waiting until just before we reached number one skua territory and then pretended to have to stop and retie my shoelaces.  Of course being a gentlemen I allowed him to pass by...   I watched with glee as the first bonxie approached him from behind and swooped a foot or so above his head at which my friend threw himself to the ground.  I told him to run quickly - which he needed no encouragement to do so as he was being pursued  by the first pair of bonxies right into the second pair of bonxie's territory.  At this he dived into the heather and refused to get up.    

At this point he couldn't understand why I was laughing my head off.  I felt it only fair to let him in on my little plan and of course we ran he rest of the way back without incident.  I think he dined out on his story for some time.

I’ve been attacked by a buzzard in Martindale in the Lake District when I was out for a run. There were no obvious nesting sites nearby that I could see. It made about 5 close swoops at me and I had to either swerve or throw myself to the ground. Thankfully a couple of crows came and started hassling the buzzard which diverted it from attacking me. It took a while for my heart rate to drop!

About the same time I read about Steve Birkinshaw who lives in Threlkeld having to change his regular running route due to being repeatedly attacked by a buzzard. 

I’ve experienced being harassed by Bonxies in Scotland, but they tend not to make contact, whereas this buzzard meant business. 
 

Was on R2 Jeremy vine, the guy is a prime example of a privately educated townie "did you feel like it was trying to lift you away?"... what an idiot. 

My favorite is Skua's! right vicious birds!

My Dad came home one evening looking like this when I lived in Oz. The Aussie magpies are notorious for dive bombing people during nesting season. 

When we were really little Mum used to put ice cream containers with eyes drawn on the back, on our heads, when we had to walk past one of their usual nesting trees. I'm sure a stick held above our heads would have been an equally as effective deterrent!

Don't be so dismissive. Here's an old documentary showing how dangerous these birds can be

youtube.com/watch?v=3M8TSlcU8HA&

I wasn't dismissing the actual event. 

But can you imagine how much Vine's parents spent on his education and he's asking if a buzzard tried to carry an adult away.

I got a lift hitching once from the Lakes where  had to sit in the back with a buzzard. Unnerving but it was a lift!

Oh eider-know about that

Gosh, awkward or what ?

You didn't even look at the link, did you...?

I had a herring gull which attacked me everytime I set foot outside the door. Nesting in a chimney pot and the stairs to my door were in line with the nest.  Expecting the same this year.

A few years ago warning signs were placed on the Peebles to Cardrona road because of an aggressive buzzard.

I don't like the title of the post, seems a bit pedestrian. Is it too late to edit it to alliterate, give it a bit more tabloid journalistic flair?

• B*stard Buzzard Batters Bloke
• Riotous Raptor Routs Runner
• Revenge of the rampant raptor

Just a few ideas, probably far better are possible here

Holed in head by horrid hawk!

Curtesy of the Daily Express:

GOING JOGGIN? PROTECT YOUR NOGGIN! Joggers advised to wear solid steel balaclavas as Buzzard develops taste for human brain. 

Very...had to avoid eye-contact 

Surely for the Daily Express you need some kind of insinuation that it's a plot from Brussels. Or alternatively, that in the good old days everyone's head was bleeding from buzzard attacks all the time and they just didn't whine about it.

‘The Buzzard from Brussels eats Brexiteers Brain!’  

Euro boffins have developed a Cyber Buzzard that has developed a taste for the brains of Hard Working Patriots who sensibly voted leave. Local Park Run fanatic Figel Narage was jogging through his local English Woodland when he noticed the terror hawk drop its freshly killed rabbit, lick its lips, sharpen its Euro Talons and make a dive straight at his larger than average size brain. ‘I couldn’t believe it. It came straight at me, shouting in French or Arabic or some other Euro language. Luckily, I was already wearing my English Made Steel Balaclava so I came to no harm.’  

No need to crow about it

Now that's more like it! Excellent work.

"‘The Buzzard from Brussels eats Brexiteers Brain!’  "

Cruelty probe after bird of prey dies of starvation.