Wrestling with Honey Buzzard ID

Regular readers may recall that roughly this time last year I went to the New Forest, partly to see some Bog Orchids for the first time but also to do a spot of Honey Buzzard watching. I'd very much enjoyed my trip and had been thinking of maybe going again this year. So when a college friend of mine arranged a reunion of university friends at a house in Brockenhurst deep in the heart of the New Forest last weekend, I thought that it would be the perfect opportunity to sneak in a couple of hours of Honey Buzzard watching before arriving. So with an official arrival time at Brockenhurst of midday, I got up early and headed straight down, arriving at around 9:15 a.m. to another warm and sunny day. 

Last time I'd had the pleasure of the company of a fellow HB enthusiast, GD who had steered me right on the difficult art of differentiating Honeys from their commoner cousins. By the end I felt that I was getting a better feel for it though I was wondering how I would get on if I were on my own. This time I'd spent the previous evening swotting up by watching videos about Honey Buzzards to get a feel for the jizz and to glean some background info (see this great video here by Mark Mallalieu). When I arrived I found that I was indeed on my own so I was about to find out just how well these lessons had sunk in. Conditions were bright and very hazy and I was wondering just how easy it was going to be to see anything. I needn't have worried as within about 10 minutes of starting I had my first BOP in the air and as soon as I got my scope on it I could tell it was a Honey Buzzard. Indeed, I was treated to 5 minutes of fantastic views as it circled around before eventually heading off. During that time as I watched it, I couldn't help but think that when seen properly like this Honey Buzzards looked nothing like a Common Buzzard at all. Indeed they have more of a hawk shape to them than any Buzzard. The way they move is also much lighter and more agile, unlike the lumbering turns of a Common Buzzard. I was very pleased to have got my target bird under my belt so quickly and poured myself a celebratory cup of tea from my flask.

Very distinctive! A grab from the video by Mark Mallalieu (c)

Shortly after that, a fellow birder turned up. He turned out to be RC, the number one expert on Honey Buzzards in the country - Mr. Honey Buzzard himself no less! We soon got talking and had a very enjoyable session together. He gently taught me the finer points of HB id, saying that the flat held wings were the main thing that he looked for above all else. What amazed me was that he just used a pair of bins for his watching but was able to id them faster than I could even find them in my scope. I guess that after as many years as he has put in, you just get a feel for them. Anyway, we had two more sightings of HBs along with plenty of Commons. He told me that in general Honey Buzzards will start flying earlier than Commons. In fact he likes to get to a viewing session at 8 am, saying that HBs will generally rise between then at about 9 whereas the Commons, being heavier birds, are generally rising from 9:30 onwards. A top tip!

There were surprisingly few other BOPs about today - with no Goshawks, Falcons or Red Kites seen at all. I did ask RC in passing about Dartford Warblers as it had been a few years since I'd seen one. To my surprise he said that you get them all around where we were. We started listening out and after a while heard the distinctive scolding churr of a Sylvia warbler - a Dartford! Seeing them was another matter. RC picked out a distant one but, being shorter in height, I just couldn't see it. Eventually RC had to leave and as time was marching on I decided to pack up my scope and head back to the car slowly to see if I could find and see a Dartford of my own. I found a good looking area which seemed to have more bird life, including some Stonechats that Dartfords like so much for company. Sure enough eventually I managed to winkle out a Dartford sighting. I even managed an appalling record shot of it though I won't shame myself by publishing it. Instead below is a stunning photo of a bird that turned up on the Oxfordshire downs last month, taken by Roget Wyatt.

Instead of my rubbish, here is a exquisite photo of a Dartford Warbler taken by Roger Wyatt (c)

Back at the car, I drank a lot of water to quench my thirst from having been out in the sun for such a length of time. Then it was time to head over to Brockenhurst to rendezvous with my college friends. There we had a lovely afternoon of catching up and reminiscing, along with a walk in the baking afternoon sun. Finally it was time to head back home. It had been a great day out - I think I might try to make this Honey Buzzard pilgrimage an annual event.