BUZZARDS
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR,—Lord Winterton says in last week's issue that for the first time for at least 20 years a buzzard has appeared at Shillinglee. Buzzards appear regularly every winter on the downs just north of this village, but these birds are immature and migratory. In March, 1931, an adult male buzzard was in the neighbourhood for several days. No birds appeared in 1982, but in 1933 a male and a female were in the neighbour- hood of Beacon Hill for some days. I have no record of nest- ing, but a gamekeeper has told me that a pair nested on a spur of Old Winchester Hill in 1919. I think myself that this is improbable, as hawks are systematically destroyed on the shoots.
Buzzards—or for that matter any hawk—do but little damage to poultry, game or anything else of interest to " sporting " landowners. It is to be hoped that the buzzard at Shillinglee has a mate, and that they will manage to secure protection. We can ill afford to lose such splendid birds.— I am, Sir, &c., BRIAN VESEY-FITZGERALD.
Innisfail, Droxford, Hampshire.
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