corvids v raptor

[CWH]

During this morning's extended northern dawn I had an interesting quarter hour watching a bit of a bird fracas out the front.
A small buzzard from our resident family group was trying to settle on his usual post but was being harassed by a raven (2 others from the resident raven family sitting on a rock) and a couple of hooded crows. The corvids were being very aggressive - chased the buzzard from his perch, dived onto him in flight, routed him when he went to ground, then hassled him from a second post. When he eventually took off across the marsh, the hoodies decided to have a go at the raven (which was bigger than the buzzard) - feisty creatures, these hoodies!
I like our buzzards. Though I suppose I shouldn't feel too bad for them, they do try to haze the local white-tailed eagles when they're around. But they lose that game as well ...

 

[pappajohn]

Hmphhh!!!
All we get is bloody seagulls and pigeons.
Can't remember the last time I saw a Starling.

 

[CWH]

Can't remember the last time I saw a Starling.

Ooh - had one of those on the feeder today - along with great, blue and coal tits; green, gold and chaffinch; robin and dunnock; blackbird ('course they don't go ON the feeder, just hang around underneath waiting for the scraps)
But we don't get pigeons - only rock doves

 

[pappajohn]

Do you live IN an aviary.

They probably are rock doves but to me they're pigeons.
if they look like a duck and quack like a duck...they're ducks.

 

[tacr2man]

We get pheasant , doves , wood pigeons , crows , blackbirds , maggies jays and sundry small birds feeding, but one of the Squirrels is very possessive and doesn't ignore the large birds like the other squirrels , and chases them off ! He doesn't bother with the small birds eg robins finches etc .

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[CWH]

They probably are rock doves but to me they're pigeons.

'Tis true PPJ, they don't look a whole lot different!!!

 

[DBK]

We regularly see spats between ravens and buzzards here as both nest in the area - the ravens always get their way. I suspect buzzards aren't the brightest of birds.

 

[CWH]

I think you're probably right; whereas corvids seem to me to be highly social and educable (is that a real word?) birds.

 

[CWH]

Hahaha they're at it again!
This time the buzzard's flown in very low towards a rock where the hooded crows always sit. They're quite happy to bump him on the back when he's in flight, but when he landed they were so funny - one standing a couple of meters in front of him, the other about half a meter behind him and hopping forward to tap the end of his tail feathers before hopping backwards again - did this about a dozen times. Then the buzzard took off and went to another rock 20 meters or so away - which has always been a buzzard rock - and all became calm...

Oh and a jackdaw just this minute came to the peanut feeder. He's not having much luck! - well he wouldn't would he with that great beak! I love his silver-blue eyes.