Gosh! I can hardly believe that it was 12 years ago this month that I undertook one of the most fulfilling projects of my career to date. Where does the time go?
Originally written on this blog the year after in 2010 it has remained 'buried' ever since so I thought it was high time to give both the story and images an airing! I very much hope that you enjoy it and should you have any questions relating to photographing buzzards or any birds of prey in the wild do feel free to drop me a line, here, or add a comment.
Last year I fulfilled an ambition I had held for years - to photograph buzzards in the wild, in Kent. Why? Well, up until 10 years ago they were quite a rare sight around these parts (North Downs) but over the years they have moved further east to a point that it's now unusual not to see one while out on the hills. There are now close to a thousand pairs in Kent alone, and I personally know of 3 nests not far from where these photographs were taken.
OK, so they are incredibly common in the west and north and hardly magnificent golden eagles, but there is just something about them. The way they soar, their call...
As I visited my woodland birds feeding station over the years or, indeed, sat in the hide photographing them, the desire would burn deeper to photograph this beautiful bird of prey. I am privileged to have access to a lot of land within their territory and so, the previous October, I decided to commit the following 4-5 months to this project. But everything, and I mean everything, had to be by the book. Birds of prey are notoriously shy and keen-eyed birds so, unlike a blue tit at a nut feeder, where you can come and go from your hide without them so much as batting an eyelid, with buzzards, in this part of the world, not a chance!
The following was then carried out.
* 5' sq wooden hide erected (adjacent to a hedge to break up its outline) under cover of darkness, so the buzzards didn't associate it with humans.
* Stockpile of road-kill rabbits stored in the freezer. Thanks, Martina!
* Continue and wait (hope!) for hard weather to commence photography.
* Hide left alone for several weeks.
* December. Once a week a road-kill rabbit was put down, pre-dawn, in front of the hide. At night, if the rabbit had not been devoured by birds, it was then removed and put up a tree to prevent foxes from taking it. It was then put back down the following morning.
In mid-January, we had hard frosts lasting a couple of weeks so I took the opportunity to get some images. I entered the hide under the cover of darkness, two hours before sunrise. 11 hours later one arrived and fed but the light was very poor.
It was terribly cold in the hide, very rarely going above freezing. I would, occasionally, ignite the gas stove for a few minutes (making sure to open the peep-holes for fresh air!), wrap a blanket around me and wear a balaclava. Winter, neoprene lined boots made by Le Chameau helped to keep my feet warm - though they froze after 5 hours! I firmly believe in making yourself as comfortable as possible, since the more comfortable you are, the longer you are likely to wait and your chances of photography are thereby increased. But, there is only so much you can do. I tried, again, a few days later and this time one appeared in good light but something was missing....snow!
Then, at the end of January, we had a substantial dumping with very poor visibility, lasting for several days. I needed a break in the weather to entice the buzzards from where they had been sheltering from the terrible weather. I then had the forecast I'd been waiting for. A clear, still day, blue sky all the way. Perfect! This would surely tempt them out to look for food. I got everything ready the night before and set my alarm for 3am. With all the snow I knew it was going to be tough driving and there was no guarantee that I would even reach the hide. I gingerly made my way to the spot where I needed to park the car but first, there was a hill to ascend. I had a bit of a run-up but the Mondeo only made it halfway. Four attempts later and I made it to the top. Upon reaching the hide I could see that there was over 18 inches of snow. I staked the rabbit down (this is to avoid it being carried off), set everything up in the hide, took snacks out of wrappers (to avoid noise) and sat back, waiting for the light and, finger's crossed, buzzards.
Then, at about 10 o clock, one landed and fed for over 30 minutes. It took my breath away to be this close (15m) and knowing that all the hard work had not been in vain. The low perspective was achieved by attaching a tripod head to a small piece of MDF with tent pegs pushed into the ground at each corner with the lens protruding through a nurses-sleeve about 6 inches above the ground. I attached one-way mirror film to small perspex panels at eye-level so I could see clearly outside without being seen.
Several hours passed and then an immature bird turned up and, just like the one previous, spent around 30 minutes feeding, oblivious to the photographer who, at this point, was the happiest man on the planet!
All were taken using a Nikon D2x with a 300mm f2.8 lens and 1.4x converter (sometimes without) with a right-angle finder attached. I ached for days having spent several hours with my head between my legs peering through this!
Of all the projects I have undertaken, this has certainly been the toughest but without question the most satisfying. Hamilton Holt's quote comes to mind..."Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Work, continuous work and hard work, is the only way to accomplish results that last." How true.
In 2016 I wrote about this in Amateur Photographer magazine which you can see, here.
