Wetenswaardigheden rond een agressieve Buizerd Buteo buteo

As in 2007, a female Buzzard Bute buteo again defended her nest aggressively against passers-by in 2008. The bird bred in a woodlot in the province of Fryslan, within 50 m of the nearest road and bicycle path. After the chicks had reached an age of 3-4 weeks old, the female started launching semi-attacks against solitary cyclists, always from behind, swooping low overhead in repeated dives. Aggressive behaviour ceased to occur after the chicks had fledged. Inhabitats of the nearest house, bordering the woodlot, were never attacked when in their garden. As one of the passing schoolchildren became slightly injured when preparing herself for defense (she fell from her bike, bruising her wrist), a call for action was raised (remove the bird). The local raptor group, however, initiated a watch for those parts of the day that schoolchildren passed by. The presence of people at the site proved to be an effective deterrent of attacks, and drew a lot of media coverage as well.