Honey Buzzard at Brockholes Quarry

5^th October 2003

 by John Wright.

On the afternoon of Sunday 5^th October I visited Brockholes Quarry and spent some time checking for the juvenile Garganey that had been present since 28^th August.  

Finding no sign in its usually favoured spots I walked around the site checking the other pools but without success – after being present for 37 days it looked to have finally departed.  At 15.45 I arrived back at my car, parked up in a passing place on the access road, and met up with quarry regulars Len Knowles and Robin Shenton.  

As we chatted I scanned across the River Ribble to Bezza Wood and found a Sparrowhawk circling above the wood.  I drew Len & Robin’s attention to this bird and as they searched for it Robin picked out a Buzzard flying over the same area.  

I did not immediately pick up this bird because I was distracted by the sudden appearance of a Peregine.  Then Len, who had picked up the bird, made sure my attention was not further distracted by announcing that he thought it was a Honey Buzzard !

Len had noted that the bird had a slim head and long tail which set the alarm bells ringing.  After a few anxious seconds I finally saw the bird being mobbed by crows but going away up river.  

It was not easy to pick up any useful detail in these views and when the crows finally left the bird alone it went into a long glide heading North West towards Boilton Wood.  At this point I began to worry that I would get no satisfactory views of the bird.  

Thankfully, just before it would have disappeared out of view, it began to circle and continued to soar for the next five minutes.              

As soon as the bird came out of the glide I was confident that Len’s initial identification was correct.  The combination of long broad wings (which characteristically pinched in where they met the body) and the distinctive way the bird soared on flat wings fitted perfectly.  

During the Honey Buzzard invasion of September/October 2000 I had been lucky enough to see a Honey Buzzard circling over Boilton Wood and was instantly reminded of that bird.  I also had more recent experience having seen a number of Honey Buzzards on a trip to Spain in May 2003.

As the bird soared higher and moved further away I tried to note plumage details to try and age the bird.  The only impression I could gain was of a paler belly and underwing coverts (suggesting that these areas were not heavily marked) but fine detail was impossible to see.  

I discussed this impression of quite a pale bird with Len & Robin.  From their initial closer views they had noted markings on the belly and underwing coverts but no diagnostic features for adult or juvenile had been seen, so the age has been left as indeterminate.    

After being in view from 15.55 until 16.05 the bird was lost soaring high to the North East.  We alerted a number of other observers who subsequently arrived in the hope that the bird would return down river but there were no further sightings.

We were all delighted to have seen such a quality bird locally but Robin was particularly pleased because the Honey Buzzard was a new species for him.  There can be few more satisfying events in birding than getting a new bird on your local patch.

John Wright (07.03.04).

Record submitted to Lancashire Records Panel.