|
Isnt this just a great name! Would love to go through life been named buteo buteo. He dude, you want to mess with me…. The name implies strength and endurance. And it is. To Europeans the common Buzzard and to South Africans the Steppe Buzzard. The big difference is that the European has adapted to harsh climates and the Steppe needs its daily tan. In The Netherlands we play host to hundreds of them, mainly migrating from Scandinavia to escape the harsh winter and enjoy our mild climate… As a keen birder and photographer , together with other birders and photographers we decided to try to make a winter portrait of Buteo buteo. Near where I live a few buzzards visit our nature reserve, which is crowded during summer with boaters and other holiday makers, but during winter people prefer to stay indoors, so the area is a playground for nature lovers. We needed plan. We knew of a area with a barn, used as a example of how people used to live in the old days. One friend is a carpenter and we copied the door with a small exception. We made 3 viewing holes in the door, through which we could stick our big lenses. You could only get to the area by boat and 3 photographers/birders undertook the 30 minutes journey on the river to measure our proudly made door and hide it out of sight. Not that the local ranger shouldn’t not know, but would hate it if our door ended on some kind of bonfire. It was October and the big trek from Scandinavia was about to start and in a few weeks time we should be prepared for our winter friend.Buzzards eat all kinds of dead animals and worms during winter, so we had to lure the bird to our hide but in sight of the camera’s. And it would be impossible to collect a lot of worms during such a period so we asked the help of a professional rat catcher. As The Netherlands is full of dykes to keep the water out people are paid to kill Muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) which tunnel their way through the clay. Not far from where I live we could collect a few or hunderd for free. Another friend has a deepfreeze in his shed, because you don’t want this kind of meat in your house. We collected 10 and then we started in October to place 1 muskrat each weekend near our hide, in sight of the lenses. It was already november and it was getting unpleasant cold on the water but every weekend 2 of us collected a rat from the freezer and placed where we thought the buzzard should eat. And then suddenly a rat was gone. Our friend has arrived… And we were out of rats! On a Friday evening one friend went over to get another 10 for free. Wont call if for free, because he was clever enough to be hit by a speed gun. Twice. On the same way going there and back. Suddenly the rats were expensive.R1000,00 for each speed registration. That makes R2000,00. As with any animal you want to see or photograph you should know about its moves. I Buteo should see us getting in our shed it might not appear. So, on a Sunday morning, December, in the cold dark we took to the water. It was flipping cold! After a never ending 30 minutes we arrived near our shed. In the dark in a single file, loaded with camera’s and a rat we found our way and replaced the original door with the photo door. And then the waiting started. Three adult men stood peering through small holes in the shed. As the camera holes were filled with lenses you could only see the kill site through the lens. Believe me, after standing and sitting being as quiet as a mouse the cold creeps up from your feet and things don’t get very pleasant. Try to take a pee without making to much noise. Buzzard, like all raptors have excellent hearing and we did not want to distract our friend, coming down for his meal. It was well past noon and we gave up , because the bird decided not to show itsself. After X-mas we repeated the whole adventure again, but this time armed with empty tins and tea lights. We figured that if we placed them underneath our camping chairs we could at least warm our bums and hands. And it worked. And the rest of the morning was perfect. We heard the catlike cry and could hear the buzzard landing on the roof. We hardly moved and took up our places behind the camera’s, each one looking at his small world though glass. And we agreed to let Buteo buteo first relax before we started to become trigger happy. The slighest noise of movement, like the shutter of the camera closing and opening might chase the bird away. And like a ghost it appeared and there this great bird stood. Turning its head and searching the area for disturbances. And just like that took of and was gone again. Rats, another freezing morning done the drain. And it was below zero and very cold. As real guys we decided to sit this one out. It was well pas one and then it was back. And started eating immediately. I suppose it sat nearby in a tree to make sure that everything was safe. And you guessed by now, this was my lucky day. I got my picture and returned home with a satisfied feeling. But, never, never again. This is a very cold adventure and my heart and body belongs in the sun, in Africa.
» 1 Comment
1Comment
at Tuesday, 20 May 2008 11:58
Bert, I howled with laughter reading this. In fact, I was still laughing to myself two days later while camping on Vlieland.
» Post Comment
Only registered users can write a comment.
Please login or register.
Related news items:
|
.gif "Africa Birds and Birding Magazine")
The Sociable Nest 
