GO WILD WITH ERIC PAYLOR

ONE of the pleasures, while you are deliberating whether to go out on a cold and windy winter's day, is doing a bit of garden birdwatching.

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Carolyn Farry's photo of a common buzzard

In addition, we must remember that birds fly. So always keep one eye on your feeders and another fully focused on the sky.

I have been surprised how many times lately | have seen common buzzards circling effortlessly high over my house. They fly so high at times that you need binoculars to pick them out.

However, they occasionally fly low and also land on posts, like this superb specimen photographed by Carolyn Farry.

As can be seen in Carolyn's photo, buzzards are large, thickset birds of prey which are relatively uniformly brown in colour, though they have a pale crescent on their breasts.