I grew up in Somerset where Buzzards were reasonably common but are now much more numerous, but I’ve spent most of the last 40 years living in the East Midlands and seen Buzzards becoming commoner and commoner sights in the skies here.
Buzzards are fairly common across most of lowland Britain nowadays but holes still exist in their distribution associated with upland grouse moors.
This is a book which is packed with information and if you seek a better understanding of this species then this is the place to start.
But I think the book is better on the facts than the explanations. I grew up reading that Buzzards were particularly rare because of myxomatosis and I was rather hoping for a more definitive view on the impact of myxomatosis on Buzzard populations than I found by tracking down all mentions of it in the index.
I’m also left a little unsure of what the authors really think of Buzzard predation on Pheasants as they explain that the numbers are small, and small in proportion to other sources of loss but they also say that there is concern over the livelihoods in rural communities affected by Buzzard predation. They seem to favour selected removal of Buzzards even though they also state that birds removed will quickly be replaced by others.
The book almost ends with a strange little homily on the second Langholm study where it suggests that Buzzard predation on Red Grouse might affect sustainable grouse shooting although the term sustainable is not explained here – maybe it simply means profitable?
I found the text a bit irritating. It may have been my fault that I lost the thread of the argument several times but that wasn’t where I put the responsibility. A bit more summarising of what the facts added up to, in the authors’ opinions, would have helped me.
The book is thin but as soon as you pick it up it feels weighty so I compared a bunch of other books to hand and found that The Common Buzzard is, indeed, a deceptively thin tome which has more pages than you’d think to look at it. And those pages are fact-packed with numerous graphs (I like graphs), tables and a fine set of illustrations (by Alan Harris) and colour and black-and-white photographs. The index is very servicable too.
I’m glad to have added this book to my library because it is a good entry into the literature on this species, both UK studies and those from across Europe. I learned a lot: the apparent numbers of young and non-breeding birds in the population, the variation in diet from place to place, dispersal and elements of the breeding cycle. The authors know their species well – that’s not in doubt.
The Common Buzzard by Sean Walls and Robert Kenward is published by T & AD Poyser.
Remarkable Birds by Mark Avery is published by Thames and Hudson – for reviews see here.
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I just find it incredible and totally unacceptable that anyone should consider “removing” native buzzards in favour of non- native game birds such as pheasants of which millions and millions are introduced into the countryside every year.
Even a hint of a suggestion like this is appalling, so I am sorry to say this book will not be for me.
I agree Alan, although I have the book and will continue to read it as if you are at all interested in Buzzards it is the best book to have. I also have the 1974 Colin Tubbs book, which seems a little dated these days and Peter Dare’s The Life of Buzzards. Just because one disagrees with comments on one area shouldn’t stop you enjoying the rest of the book.
I can well remember my good friend Bill Hesketh saying of the New Naturalist book on Owls ( which we both have) that the author was clueless when it came to the Bowland Eagle Owls. Bill, it must be said has more knowledge about Bowland’s raptors than anybody else has ever known. I haven’t heard his take on this book yet but doubtless I will at some stage.
Poyser monographs are very good summaries of current or new knowledge and if you are at all interested in the species covered are usually a must have and this is no different. My only regret is that the at one time promised book on the Honey Buzzard never came to fruition.
I totally agree Alan. I find any mealy-mouthed deference to the game shooting or farming lobbies from those who see themselves as wildlife experts totally nauseating.
Mark, does the book have much in lay-mans terms about data from tagged Buzzards? If it does I might buy it. Although, like Alan above, it seems I am already at odds with the authors.
I’m with Alan on this one. Buzzards have been a huge part of my life for almost thirty years, after recolonising my local area, so I’d been hoping for an update to Tubbs for some time. However, I won’t be bothering with any publication that legitimises raptor persecution, licenced or not. The very idea is a betrayal of all that conservationists believe in. If I had a spare 40 odd quid (I believe 60 was the original asking price) lying around, I’d sooner donate it to WJ.
I got this book soon after publication from Blackwells and posted a review on amazon. I found many interesting facts and up to date studies – which was great. But like you, I thought the section Langholm baffling at best. The authors advocate a complicated system of raptor quotas for grouse moors, including nest disturbance and relocations where the ‘quota’ is exceeded. Talk about bending over backwards to appease the shooters! It kind of undermined the whole book