I am going to give you 15 minute (approx) updates to let you share the suspense as I wait for the Buzzards to come back to the carcass.1030. As I drive down the lane towards the pit hide location, a Green Woodpecker flies in front of  the car and a Buzzard is perched on the entrance gate! 1035. I arrive at the hide and disturb a second Buzzard sitting in the trees nearby, the norm this last few visits confirming what I already knew that at least 2 buzzards are coming down to the freebies. 1040 Feeders filled and I am in the hide watching and waiting, Nuthatches both male and female are coming and going.  Great Tit and Nuthatch have a tussle! 1120 I have a great view of the rabbit placed enticingly on the log.  Light is good and  my camera is armed with 200mm lens, I want to capture some wing flapping buzzard action. No Buzzard yet.  Squirell comes to steal food…… I shout……1125  Just to say that I am here for the long haul…… it may take some time, squirell is back on the peanuts 1156. Buzzards are still absent but Nuthatches are constant still. Dont want to use fill flash in case I disturb Buzzards. 1208. Food has run out on the pool, Nuthatches are searching, I may have to leave the hide to "top-up", coffee seems like a good idea, facilities are in the camouflaged caravan just behind me,  however….. I have no idea if there is a Buzzard just sitting and taking it all in and waiting his moment, a risk that I will have to take.  4 Nuthatches in the time that it has taken to write this.  1212 Coal Tit. It's 1245, coffee made and a few changes to the pool, I rushed back to the "hole" because a Buzzard was soaring around to my left and I didn't want ant disturbance.  Fingers crossed and it will come in to the rabbit. The Nutties are still feeding on the pool feeder. 1343 Still no Buzzard and no sign of one near the hide yet but I haven't given up….. !  

1349.  Buzzard success, after 3 1/2 hours!  A Buzzard came down to the remains of the old carcass placed in the field for the fox.  I saw it fly in, hesitate for a while and then fly off with the rabbit remains in it's talons.  I can't see it from this position at the moment but I suspect that it is on the gate or fence just out of my field of vision, not too far away, 50 feet or so.  I honestly didn't imagine that it would take the remains, mostly already  eaten when it had the choice between that and a nicer, fresher and more appealing "meal".  I am on a steep learning curve.

The bird flew in to the old rabbit carcass.

At 1355  It came back and finished some other scraps then flew up on to the fence and I took  a hundred or so pictures including flight shots.  It appeared then to get very wary and flew off.  I think it may return to the carcass on the log  which I am sure it is aware of.  battery is about to go on the iBook so I may have to "fill you in" on the details later…….. did it return? Check back for pictures of all this and to see if it did come back, or even another which may be why it was wary and flew off? It's now 1410 and I am still waiting for that once ina lifetime shot.

 Notice that this is the light bird that I saw yesterday.

The wind blew hard.

A Red Admiral Butterfly flew by.

It was starting to spit  and the bird shook to get rid of the rain.