B is for Buzzard: what size is your nest?

Buzzards generally build their own nests although some seem far more industrious than others...

Some are small and scrappy. This rickle o sticks is high in a big sycamore tree (2 chicks).

The white plastic on the wing you can see is a uniquely numbered wing tag.  Please note the special wing tag is fitted under special license as part of a specific, long-term ongoing adult survival study. See some amazing pictures here and here and here of some of these buzzards on the wing. Studies of smaller birds can involve coloured rings but larger raptors may be fitted with wing tags. See here for some red kite wing tag info.

Often the nest is large and heavy though they usually pick a bigger tree to put it in! This is in a slim-line birch (3 chicks).

 An old nest will be added to every year. This one is many years old and is set in the fork of an alder (single chick, not in the picture).

And some nests are simply ginormous! This pair has cheated though as they've borrowed a huge old goshawk nest!