At the end of June while our ranger, Jack, was strolling along the fields next to the A34 he was startled to walk within a couple of feet of a buzzard in the long grass.
Jack quickly moved away so not to startle the bird, in the hopes that it may have been lucky enough to have caught a rabbit rather than be injured.
Moving through the fields, and after 20 minutes of no movement in the grass, Jack noticed the crows congregate in the tree above. Slowly moving back to a gap in the long grass, disturbing the crows as he went, he took of his jumper as he approached.
The buzzard's keen eye watched every movement, but it never attempted to move. Jack slowly covered the bird's head loosely with his jumper, and gently lifted it out of the grass, after checking over the feet, legs and wings he could feel no obvious injuries except a small cut on the birds flank, the limbs seemed to be working normally.
Jack could see from the scruffy plumage that it was a young bird, it had probably only recently fledged, and from its smaller size he guessed it was a male.
After a phone call home to request a large box and a lift, they were off to the RSPCA Wildlife Rescue at Stapeley Grange. Jack left the young buzzard in the staff's capable hands with his fingers crossed.
He phoned the centre several times over the next couple of weeks and was told the same each time he called, that it was still at the centre therefore it must be doing well. Then, at the end of July, Jack received an unexpected phone call from Stapeley Grange informing him that the young buzzard was fit and ready for release...
Unfortunately, Jack wasn't available to release the buzzard back into the wild but the team gladly obliged and Jack was happy to see this young bird given a second chance.
A happy ending :)
