One of the rarest birds of prey in the UK is nesting on Ashdown Forest and has been sensationally featured on BBC’s Springwatch programme.
Presenter Chris Packham couldn’t hide his excitement yesterday evening (Weds, 10 June) as the show cut live to a hidden camera watching the nesting pair of honey buzzards laying eggs. It was the first time a live honey buzzard’s nest had been broadcast.
He said: “It’s time for a drum roll as we go live to a honey buzzard’s nest! Superb! Oh, what a bird, look at that. We’ve been keeping an eye on this pair and they are doing really well. There’s been plenty of activity.”
The footage showed the pair of extremely rare and secretive birds – very different from the common buzzard – feed, mate, and even showed an egg in the nest. The honey buzzards feed mainly on wasps and up to 80 per cent of their diet is wasp larvae.
As the egg was spotted on camera, Chris said: “This is the moment of truth. Yes, look, peer through the sticks in the nest and you can see that little bit of russet red – that’s the colour of a honey buzzard’s egg. Look at that, down there in Sussex.”
As he closed the item Chris said: “That’s absolutely sensational. It was certainly a first for Springwatch and probably for the UK too. Honey buzzards on the nest – absolutely sensational.”
He paid tribute to The Ashdown Forest, The Sussex Ornithological Society, The Ashdown Forest Foundation, Friends of Ashdown Forest, and Wildlife Windows who worked together to capture the extraordinary images.