Through the kitchen window

I could hear the crows and magpies complaining when I was standing in the kitchen this morning but I couldn't see what they were upset about.  I knew it wasn't the sparrowhawk because the small birds seemed unconcerned.  Then suddenly a buzzard landed right in front of me.  I grabbed the nearest camera and just had time for this photo before it flew off, pursued by the corvids.

This is only the second time I have seen a buzzard in the garden, although they often fly overhead.  The last time was in the very cold winter eleven years ago but that one was at the top of my tallest ash tree so there was no photo.

Buzzards are birds of moorland and farmland and are rare garden visitors, so they don't feature in the data summaries from the BTO Garden BirdWatch.  The population has increased ten-fold over the last 40 years and they are now our most abundant raptors.  This graph is from the BTO Bird Trends.

This graph from the BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey shows the population growth in the North East so maybe I won't have to wait another 11 years for the next visit.