The Life of Buzzards

To my knowledge there has not been a monograph on the Buzzard since the publication of ‘The Buzzard’ by Colin Tubbs in 1974. A publicly-accessible update on knowledge about this species is therefore very timely, and who better to write such a text than Peter Dare – someone who has spent many years of his life conducting dedicated studies of this species?
 
That a Buzzard monograph is so timely perhaps explains my occasional mixed feelings about this book. Though the author states that it is not intended as a monograph, I picked it up with this expectation and it often reads as such. The text references a number of different studies from the UK and Europe, so it is by no means parochial, but at times one is unsure of the generality of what is being presented.
 
The book starts with introductory chapters, including lengthy descriptions of the author’s own study areas. It then follows Buzzards through the year, starting in the relatively quiet months of winter, through the breeding season and concluding in autumn when juveniles disperse. This is a logical approach and the text here flows particularly well. Subsequent chapters then look in more detail at territory, energetics, predation/prey, demographics and finally the national population decline and recovery.
 
A great deal of interesting information is conveyed in the book’s 241 pages and in the appendices that follow. The detailed analysis of Buzzard diet, in different locations and circumstances, is particularly impressive, not least due to the work involved in collecting these data. Good use is made of illustrations, graphs, tables and (generally excellent) photos. A minor gripe is the omission of a simple timeline of a typical year, showing approximate dates of egg-laying, hatching, fledging and so on – one has to extract this information from the text.
 
In his preface the author expresses his hope that this book will encourage and assist fresh field studies by a new generation of raptor enthusiasts. While the book will no doubt be inspirational, and includes huge amounts of valuable information, more could have been included to guide the aspirant raptor worker. Nest-finding is not covered, for example, and contact details of local raptor study groups are omitted. Readers are directed to Hardy et al (2009), but a short chapter on techniques for Buzzard monitoring would have been a good addition.
 
I would summarise by warmly recommending this book to anyone with an interest in this species. Despite the few caveats mentioned above it is a fascinating read and I don’t doubt that everyone who picks it up will learn something of interest. 

Book reviewed by Ben Darvill