Find your own Common and Rough-legged Buzzards

Being unspecific in its choice of habitat Common Buzzard, Britain’s commonest bird of prey, is straightforward to find almost anywhere and, as a resident, at any time of year. Rough-legged Buzzard, on the other hand, is a rare winter visitor to the British Isles. Numbers vary on an annual basis. In most years just a handful of birds appear, but occasionally there are big influxes – one of which was currently ongoing as this article was published in November 2014.

The east coast between Lothian and Kent offers the best chance to see the species and, although locations generally vary year on year, traditional sites include the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, the east Norfolk Broads (particularly Haddiscoe and Thorpe Marshes), Holkham, Norfolk, and, further north, Sleddale, North Yorkshire (NZ 619120).

With birds more numerous this autumn and winter, birders have been afforded the luxury of not having to travel as far to see one of these northern visitors and this will likely continue throughout the season. Good numbers have been reported from the expected east coast counties, with several sites registering multiple birds, including Sleddale, North Yorkshire, Burnham Overy Marshes, Norfolk (TF 860447), and Breydon Water, Norfolk (TG 494081). There have also been sightings from the South Pennines: regular reports have come from Broomhead Moor, South Yorkshire (SK 224952). Furthermore, several obliging individuals have been found in inland counties and as far south as East Sussex.

Keeping tabs on the latest sightings nationwide (see www.birdguides.com) is instrumental if you want to see Rough-legged Buzzard this winter. In a year where the species is so numerous, however, there’s every chance one could pop up at a site local to you – it’s well worth checking any pale Common Buzzards you see between now and April!