The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Man left amazed as he snaps bird capturing weasel
Fife man Gordon Baxter watched in amazement as a large buzzard carried a weasel right over his head.
Gordon was walking at Falkland Estate last week when the bird of prey sank its talons into the mammal and made off with it.
Buzzards catch their prey on the ground and have been known to eat weasels – though it is not a particularly common sight.
Gordon managed to capture a few photographs of the weasel hanging from the bird’s claws but said it was gone within seconds.
“I was heading back towards the stables when a buzzard suddenly appeared round the trees carrying a weasel,” he said.
“Three seconds later they were gone, with the buzzard flying off round the hill.
“I know that a weasel may attack a buzzard, but this one clearly came off second-best.”
Gordon, from Crail, added: “I think I could stand in the same place for the rest of my life and never see anything like this again.
“I was just lucky that I managed to get three half-decent photographs.
“The weasel was dead. Its flesh was actually ripped,” he said.
“I was talking to a guy who is a professor of biology and he was saying a weasel would actually attack a buzzard.
“It clearly lost this fight.” Weasels can grow to around 12in long and weigh around a pound.
They have sharp claws and are known to be ruthless killers, attacking rabbits and even large game birds.
Buzzards are the UK’S most common bird of prey and they are not picky eaters.
They normally enjoy small mammals such as voles, mice and shrews.
But they are known to also eat bigger animals like rabbits and even other birds. Frogs, snakes, weasels, rats and even hares also make it into their varied diet.
The buzzard population has quadrupled since the 1970s and the birds are now a common sight in the countryside around Scotland.
In 2018, Tom Davidson from Ceres was repeatedly attacked by a buzzard as he jogged near his home.
He was dive-bombed dozens of times in what he said was a “terrifying incident”.
The RSPB said aggressive behaviour from buzzards towards humans was rare.
Nature has the ability to take your breath away. Fife man Gordon Baxter could not believe his eyes when he spotted a buzzard flying off with a weasel in its talons.
And he could not believe his luck that he managed to capture the incredible moment for posterity on his camera.
As we all start to enjoy more time outdoors, we have the chance to reconnect with nature and enjoy all that it has to offer.
The breathtaking, beautiful and brutal all await. We must cherish it.