Buzzards Day

In the USA, the word buzzard is often used to describe the native turkey vultures. Buzzards have remarkably variable plumage. Most individuals are brown and heavily marked, but some are almost white. Buzzards have never been popular with falconers, as they tend to be far too lazy to be taught to fly at live quarry.

Buzzards are a type of hawk, specifically, buteos, and they are in the family Accipitridae. These are medium- to large-sized hawks with broad wings ideal for soaring on thermal currents. Most buzzards prefer relatively open country where they can soar easily and search for prey. Buzzards build their own nest, and they have a curious habit of decorating it with fresh green foliage.

Every year on March 15th, residents of Hinckley Ohio are treated to one of nature’s many marvels. They call it Buzzards Day, and celebrate a tradition which began a long time ago.

In the winter of 1818, local men took part in what is known as the “Hinckley Hunt”; a hunt to rid the local area of pests and predators which threatened livestock and crops. The men worked from the edges of the town into the centre killing hundreds of animals in their path, including wolves, bears and deer. In the spring following this morbid event, buzzards arrived to feed on the remains of the victims of the hunt which had been preserved under snow through the winter months. The abundant food must have made a big impression on these buzzards of old, as since then their descendants have flocked back to the town of Hinckley on March 15th like clockwork every year, reportedly even on leap years!