ABUNDANT chicks, baby mammals and insects make this a particularly good time of year, as far as food is concerned, for birds of prey. Hobbies are reaping the rewards of their raids over the Avalon marshes, seeming to spend all day grazing' on the plethora of dragonflies, and performing an amazing spectacle that should not be missed by any self-respecting birdwatcher.

Chicks make up an easy larder for sparrowhawks that, at the worst times of year, always manage to use their fantastic hunting abilities to ensure that they will never go hungry. But why waste precious energy chasing adult birds when there are those easily-caught youngsters and when the hawks themselves have to provide more food for their own young family?

This week I witnessed a sight that demonstrated just how much a bird of prey can benefit from a good source of food. It was a buzzard that flapped out of the edge of a track and crossed a steep field holding a baby rabbit in its talons. Buzzards are well-known as carrion feeders and will take advantage of any source of meat that they come across and they are not averse to catching grown rabbits either. Often, the main source of food for a buzzard will consist of earthworms, a fact that some find hard to believe. But I suppose that being so versatile in its choice of food has been one of the factors that has led to a successful increase in the number of buzzards over recent years. It was only a few years ago that the species was more or less confined to the western side of this country. I remember birdwatching below Swell Wood on West Sedgemoor one day when I was joined by an enthusiast who was visiting from the north-eastern area of England. He was really excited as we watched a pair of buzzards sailing along the hillside above us. He quickly told me that it was certainly not a common sight where he came from and instilled in me the fact that we just shouldn't take such things for granted. Buzzards, since those days, have become far more widespread and today do not generate the excitement that they once did. However, like every other bird species, they are very special in their own right. In spring and on warm days throughout the year, buzzards enjoy soaring. This has nothing to do with hunting but appears to be an act of pure pleasure. They will spend hour after hour on outstretched wings, rarely beating them but making use of thermals and upcurrents from hillsides and cliffs. At times they will suddenly drop very swiftly on half-closed wings, making the observer think they are about to catch something, but just as suddenly breaking off and wheeling around to regain their lost height. Hunting, in fact, is generally done from a tree or post, though at times they will quarter the ground some twenty-or-so feet up, searching diligently below them. This, no doubt, is an excellent way to catch baby rabbits such as the instance that I witnessed.

Diary dates: Sunday, June 22. Ferrybridge and Portland Area. Meet at map ref SY667761, 10am. Led by Eric Luxton (Taunton 283033). Tuesday, July 8. Staple Plain for nightjars. Meet at map ref ST118410, 8.30pm. Led by Evan Williams (Taunton 289194).