Buzzard, close-up portrait among foliage with nice bokeh

by BHotography

Photo of a Buzzard (buteo buteo) in a tree among the leaves. This bird of prey had just consumed prey, and is already sitting vigilantly around for another snack. What is special about the photo of this Buzzard is that it voluntarily came to sit quite close in the wild, while Buzzards are normally quite skittish.
This unique opportunity made it possible to take this razor-sharp highly detailed photo in the wild, where every hair of every feather can be counted, with the leaves surrounding the bird of prey as a natural frame - making for a beautiful composition. All this against a creamy background with soft bokeh.

The Buzzard is found throughout most of Europe and parts of Asia. It is predominantly a resident bird that winters in the same area where it breeds, except in the coldest areas and except for a few subspecies. The bird usually hunts in open country, but nests in forest edges.

This rather young specimen came flying in and perched itself relatively close by, in a tree. That gave opportunity to take close-up photos without disturbing the animal.
But as the photo shows, it really did keep a sharp eye on everything.
It is a mighty predator, with its sharp beak and strong legs not letting prey escape. With its large, stern eyes, it sees the smallest prey from a great distance.

The photo was taken late on a summer evening, a time when this bird of prey actively hunts, and when fortunately the light is very beautiful. The low light gives depth to the photo.