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Common buzzard        Images © Mark A. Chappell

During a couple of visits to Poland, I was struck by the scarcity of raptors.   In North America or Africa it is easy to spot soaring and perched hawks of various species (in North America the red-tailed hawk is especially abundant).   But in Poland, a sighting of any raptor was rare, and the common buzzards in these images comprise two of only three or four I saw during a cumulative two months in the country.   All these birds were soaring near the small towns of Bialowieza and Gugny on thickly overcast days; the dark bird against bright blue sky was in Bialowieza.

  • Canon 1D3, 500 mm f4 IS or 800 mm IS + 1.4X converter (2008, 2009)