Jackal Buzzards flew over.

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One of our best hunters on show here today.
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The Buzzards had a difficult time to get food during the past weeks of solid rain storms.

Rodents, rabbits and other small mammals were all in hiding during the storms and Buzzards don't dig into the earth for their prey.
So they are forced to hunker down and to wait for the weather to improve. We have a couple and their youngster living in the high trees on a farm and at times we visit the area to see if I can get any of them on my camera.
Today I was lucky.

I think that this was the female coming over.
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Up there on high was the male Jackal Buzzard (Buteo rufofuscus)
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A most beautiful bird cruising on the thermals.
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Here's a show of him against the mountain background.
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Another crossing in front of the mountain and then he was gone.
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I took this photo of a Buzzard a few days ago in the rain. Just wanted to show you the size of this big guy.
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Competition for prey is fierce over here as we also have a range of other predator birds hunting on the farms. Eagles, falcons, hawks and kites they are all here and the crows have a hard time to patrol their nesting sites. Then of course there is also the Gymnogene (Harrier Hawk) that has double jointed knees enabling him to climb trees. He would sneak up on a tree and then climb it up to the nest without the crows seeing him.
The only time when the crows might see the Gymnogene is when he flies off with their baby in his beak and by then it's too late for the crows to respond.
Such is the hunting life over here.

And That's All Friends!

Photos by Zac Smith-All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon Powershot SX60HS Bridge camera.

We hope that you have enjoyed the pictures and the story.

Thank you kindly for visiting a post by @papilloncharity

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108 comments
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I like buzzards we don't have much because I last see it flew around 2 or 3 years ago

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What a coincidence, this beautiful bird reminds me on my today's post which will go online in a few minutes 😀
These are mighty and strong birds and the other birds are brave little heroes to fight against them.

!BEER and !WINE - both make a nice dinner with !PIZZA :)
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I look forward to seeing your today's post Hannes.

Yes, the little ones are indeed prepared to sacrifice their lives in order to protect their nests.

Cheers and thanks.

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Here comes a big LOL from me, my friend, because I wrote this comment yesterday, but please no finger 🤣

Cheers and !BEER
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Gotcha, I wrote the comment after I have visited your post and just thought to tease a little bit 🤣

But again, I will relent with no finger 😇

Cheers and thanks.

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Haha, and I believe you because I know you can't lie 😎 otherwise I would search the smilies for that special finger smiley 🤣

!PIZZA and !BEER - sounds like a nice dinner :)
!invest_vote

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Hahaha, easy to check mate as look at the time of your post and the time of my reply 😉
I thought that you also had a post of flying birds, but it turned out to be a false hope, as you had a lovely deer 🤣

Cheers and thanks.

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So you didn't see the two birds of prey in my post? 😭 I have heard from someone else that my photos didn't show up yesterday.

!BEER and !PIZZA - nice 😃
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(Edited)

Ah shame and after you uploaded, you deleted them from your camera 🤣
Maybe you must start to attend some art classes, as you do remember their striking colors and then you can paint them 🤣
Will sell for a bomb on NFT methinks 🤣

Cheers and thanks.

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Haha, you're funny today, Zac 😁
Later the images showed up again - maybe a server problem. I delete the images from the camera when the card is full, but every single one is saved on my computer and an external hard drive.
Sometimes I lose edited images when I transfer them to an external drive to edit them on my computer at work. I don't know why that happens, but the original raw files are always saved twice and should be fine.

You would not want to see my paintings, I believe, although I don't think I have ever tried to paint, apart from the walls in our apartment 😉

The NFT world is another world and I thought it would be easier. It takes a lot of time and effort, but that's something I don't have at the moment ... just wait and see and wait and try (again the word "wait" 😉).

!PIZZA and !BEER - sounds like a nice dinner :)
!invest_vote

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Oh okay, so if the images popped up again, then search carefully for the images of the two big flying birds, as it has to be there somewhere 🤣

Oh yeah it happens to me also and I call that the external HD thief 🤣

Now imagine if you score big eventually on the NFT my friend?
Then you will call Mr. Wait your brother 🤣
Don't even think of giving up as life is going to be good.

Cheers and thanks.

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Well, I found them 😁

Yes, of course I will wait and carry on working on it - just like the Hive is rising the NFT will become more and more popular. Life will be good, I know 😃

Cheers and !BEER
!invest_vote

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Wow, two different raptor birds, what a luck my friend.
I don't know what kinds of raptors you have there, but over here the bottom one with the "fork tail and the wing tips looks like some type of a black Kite.

Judging by the tail and wing tips of the top one it looks like an Eagle type.
I am only surmising here as that is what it might be in my country.

Great about your efforts in the NFT and yes, you will get there.

Cheers and thanks.

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The one with the fork tail is a red kite, I have found that out, but the other one might be a youngster who will be identifiable in a few months, but I don't believe it's an eagle - ours look different. Maybe I'll see it again one day.

!ENGAGE 30
Cheers and !BEER
!invest_vote

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Could possibly also be a Buzzard if you guys have them?
Have a look at the form of the tail, half round is either eagle, buzzard, falcon or kite, so you are right as it could be a young kite.

Cheers and thanks.

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Yes, I thought of a Buzzard too. Maybe it's a young one because it looks a bit different than in the images I have found.

I had to reply quickly today because I hopefully will see a sunset tonight and don't know if I will be back before bed time ;)

Cheers and !BEER
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Yes indeed it could be a mom and her youngster which is quite logical.

I hope that you got the sunset my friend 😎

Cheers and thanks.

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Nope, the sunset turned into dark gray clouds and I got a lot of rain instead of nice colours. Luckily I was in my car and not on the bike 😎

!PIZZA and !BEER - sounds like a nice dinner :)
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Indeed wise to take the car my friend and yet instead of the sunset you got some magical photos.
Funny how nature can turn the tables on us at times, as we go out expecting to get something and then we get someting different 🤣

Cheers and thanks.

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Yesterday I took the bike, but I have got the same weather as the day before - luckily it didn't rain :)
That's also the fun in nature photography because sometimes it's also a nice surprise to get better weather conditions than you have thought, so it doesn't really disappoint me when a sunset doesn't work.

!PIZZA and !BEER - sounds like a nice dinner :)
!invest_vote

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At the start I can remenber how dissapointed I used to get my friend, but now I ignore it and when it's bad I look for other photo opportunities.
One gets used to things and I am glad that it didn't rain when you were out on the bike.

Cheers and thanks.

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That's it, my friend, to have fun taking photos is more important than to get great photos. Of course taking a good photo home makes it perfect :)
It has been raining today too, but in the evening the sun has come out and I think tomorrow is going to be nice again.

Did I tell you that tomorrow is my last day at work? Well, my last day for a week, and if it works that my colleague will do the most important work then I'll take another week off in September. I have no idea what I'll do next week though, maybe I'll go for a ride or a hike, no plans yet.

!PIZZA and !BEER - sounds like a nice dinner :)
!invest_vote

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Exactly Hannes, to have fun and also to sharpen one's instincts when quick shots are required. Then there is also the meditation part and the one that you struggle with. I think it has to do with waiting, but there is better name for it that I have now forgotten 🤣

At times I take 300 or more shots on a day, then I do one story out of a few and I file the rest. So yes I have a few thousand unpublished photos in the files. From 2017 to now.

No, you didn't tell me and it is so great that you have a week off. So, my advice is, don't plan anything and simply do every day what you would like to do. This will serve as training for your retirement days. Oh, and don't forget to visit your parents and to have a "Grillen" with them 😉

Cheers and thanks.

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I think I know what word you mean, Zac, but the Lady who is called Patience is at the dead sea on a boat with a fisherman waiting patiently for a fish to bite 🤣

I don't take that many photos, but there will be a few thousand too on my hard disks.

Well I will do exactly what you suggest, my friend, because I really have no plan, and I am sure to visit my parents too, thank you :)

!ENGAGE 30
!PIZZA and !BEER - sounds like a nice dinner :)
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Hahaha, just pray that the fisherman is not also dead Hannes 🤣

For sure you must also have thousands, but I find it a tedious procedure to search through my files for a topic that I want to post about.

Glad that you see the logic in my plan and who knows, maybe life will surprise you 🙏

Cheers and thanks.

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I bet a fisherman who is fishing in the dead sea must also be dead 😎

I'm using Adobe Lightroom and I Tag my photos. So if I search for something it is a lot easier. But I also rename the images using the date and what's to see. The edited photos are stored in named folders like "sunrise" or "mountains" or so.

Yep, and my logic says I am going to bed earlier tonight, because when I wake up at night I'll decide whether I get up to ride or drive somewhere I don't know yet or whether I stay in bed 😁

So, if I don't reply later I am already sleeping and will reply tomorrow when I get up or when I come home ☺️

!PIZZA and !BEER - sounds like a nice dinner :)
!invest_vote

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Oh yeah, dead as a door nail they say 🤣

That's where you are clever and I am dumb. All my photos have only Canon numbers of the dates that they were taken. Luckily Marian logs all of our trips in her diary, so I can get an idea whereabouts I took such and such a photo and then I search the months posts at that particular time.
Sometimes I have to search through 3 months of photos to find a particular photo.

One day I will employ a clerk to sit and sort thus far 4 external 1TB harddrives filled with photos 🤣
Or maybe I will employ 5 clerks to sort 1 HD each 🤣

Hope that you enjoyed your sleep and there's another one soon. Even the kittens are yawning.

Cheers and thanks.

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But I don't do this tagging as accurate as I sould do it or as the possibilities of the software are, to be honest. I'm lazy as can be, but as long as I find what I'm searching for I'm happy 😎

The sleep was short, but I should have stayed in bed anyway ... rain, rain, rain ⛈️

!PIZZA and !BEER - sounds like a nice dinner :)
!invest_vote

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Oh yes, at times I search around with no luck, then on another day when I search for something else, the photo that I was searching for will be the first one that I open 🤣

I will share a secret with you the last three days Fiday and Saturday, Marian left me to sleep unitil 10am in the morning. A first in many years. Then last night (Sunday) and in the early hours of this morning I had trouble again and was up at the usual early hour.
Today was a public holiday and tomorrow I have a lot of work to do, here on the PC (charity work) and we have to take a lady to see a doctor.

Yep, but the water is a blessing to the earth my friend.

Cheers and thanks.

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I know such too, Zac, and sometimes the photo I search doesn't look as I had it in my mind ;)

I haven't slept so long since I was a young man, except from the times when I came home in the morning after having a party 🤣
But since this pandemic and the restrictions have begun I often stay longer in bed and it's hard to find the motivation to get up earlier than the others.

If the earth likes the water why doesn't she keep it down there or in the lakes and seas? Why is she sending it up into the air when she needs it down here? 🤣 LOL sorry for that, but it's like saying things without thinking before - sometimes I need to talk stupid ;)

!ENGAGE 30
Cheers and !BEER
!invest_vote

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Good afternoon Hannes,

Oh yes, I know that feeling well, as one thinks it's and ideal photo and then it turns out to be a dud 🤣

Nope, since my bike accident when I was in a bed at the hospital for 3 months and then another 2 months at home, I have created the habit to get out of bed as soon as possible.
Even now when they put me out for an operation, as soon as I awake I rip the pipes and tubes out and I fight to get up. They have to put me out again 🤣

Huh? At first I thought that you need to see a head doctor, but then I saw that you were joking about the earth keeping the water 🤣🤣

Cheers and thanks,.

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Good afternoon Zac,

moving the body out from bed as early as possible is most important to me - when my time has come one far away day the body can lay down (under) as long as it wants 😉

Great, you got my joke - maybe I shouldn't have written the explanation 🤣

!BEER and !PIZZA - nice 😃
!invest_vote

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Hi Hannes, I don't usually nab a post that I am supposed to do tomorrow but this is a special message.

I think that we will have a very special day tomorrow as IT IS SOMEBODY'S BIRTHDAY.
A very special day methinks and thankfully Marian and her diary reminded me.

So we know something that you might also know 🤣

Blessings.

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Good day my friend,

I have no idea what you mean, maybe Marian has entered the wrong day 🤣
I don't like my birthday and that might be the reason why I forget the birthdays of others too.

But I thank you so much, Zac, you and your lady Marian 🤗

!BEER and !PIZZA - nice 😃
!invest_vote

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Hahahah, and hahaha again 🤣
Even if you don't like your birthday, doesn't mean that others like us and your family cannot like it, as that would be selfish 🤣

So now you are one year closer to the big day. Like I told you, time will fly if you stay busy, or sleep a lot 🤣

Our pleasure and I think that you know that.

Cheers and thanks.

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Oh yes, I know that, my friends from the South, and I don't mind the nice and good wishes 😂

One year closer to freedom, that's the most important things about my birthdays 😎

!PIZZA and !BEER - sounds like a nice dinner :)
!invest_vote

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Thank you and good that you know that my friend in the north.

So now we are looking at 6 years and just the other day you were complaining abour 7 years.
Before you know it, you will be complaining about 5 years, which will then turn into 4 years and on and on we will go 🤣🤣🤣

Until the final day and then you will wonder where the time has gone 🤪

Cheers and thanks.

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Still way to many, but I'll stop complaining for a while, because next week will be busy at work again and not much time for other things, I'm afraid ... wished these 6 years would already be over 🤣

!PIZZA and !BEER - sounds like a nice dinner :)
!invest_vote

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Well you might know that 6 is one of my lucky numbers, so let's hope that a huge miracle will appear for you during the 6th year.
Good that you will be back at work again, as that will take your mind off things.

I still have a door to hang tonight in the bathroom after the replies are done and thank heavens my posts were completed.

Cheers and thanks.

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I have just thought that 6 years are a long time and I will have to find something to shorten it.

Yep, from Monday on everything will be better and I will have more time 😆

I have been on the bike from 6am till 3pm, ate something at home, made a few votes on the Hive, twittered two photos from my ride and then I drove on a mountain for a sunset that didn't happen because of gray clouds.

!PIZZA and !BEER - sounds like a nice dinner :)
!invest_vote

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Let's wait and see what happens my friend.

Twittered two photos and instead of replying to Zac he rode out to get a non existent sunset.
Not very wise, but as usual I forgive you, as you forget that Mother nature is on my side 🤣

Cheers and thanks.

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Yep, my friend, I'm not very wise, but I am learning every day. So I have learned that Mother Nature has pushed a dark gray cloud in fron of the sunset just because I have been too lazy to make my replies

!PIZZA and !BEER - sounds like a nice dinner :)
!invest_vote

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Hahaha, what a cute reply and Mother nature likes to play her tricks on us 🤣
Sometimes she catches us and at other times she gives us an unexpected present 🤣

Cheers and thanks.

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🤣😆

!PIZZA and !BEER - sounds like a nice dinner :)
!invest_vote

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Nice photos of such a cool bird. In our forest, I see them at the end of July, by the way, it's time to visit them.

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