Record breaking buzzard has bird lovers buzzing
Date: 04-Oct-02
Country: UK
The buzzard, fitted with a satellite transmitter, left its nest in the Scottish Highlands on September 15 at the start of its long migration to Africa for the winter.
But after becoming lost off the west coast of England, the fledgling buzzard veered off over the Atlantic ocean instead of travelling over France and Spain.
The 5,000 km journey it has completed so far is thought to be a record, said Roy Dennis, director of the Highland Foundation for Wildlife charity, which fitted the transmitter in an attempt to learn more about the birds' migration patterns.
"We never believed they could go that far. We think it's the longest recorded overseas migration by a bird of prey in the world ever," he told Reuters.
"It's absolutely incredible when you think it only started to fly in late August and it was only born in late July. It just shows you what nature is all about."
After just missing the Azores and Madeira islands as it headed back towards land, the buzzard is now somewhere off the west coast of Africa, its transmitter still sending signals.
Sadly for the bird lovers, and the many surfers who have been following its daily exploits on the charity's Web site, Dennis thinks it may have succumbed to fatigue and hunger.
"The last couple of days makes me pretty sure that it's on something, floating in the water," he said.
