Grondnest van Buizerd Buteo buteo in Arkemheen

In polder Arkemheen in the central Netherlands, a ground-breeding Buzzard was discovered on 14 May 2010. The nest was situated on a dam between two meadows, close to a ditch and within 1.5 m of an occupied Mute Swan Cygnus olor nest. The Buzzard nest contained 3 incubated eggs. The eggs were dirty and wet because the nest cup, hardly above ditch level, was drenched (17 mm of rainfall in the preceding days). The eggs were found damaged on 26 May (pair present and alarm-calling), whereas the Mute Swan nest contained just a single egg. These facts indicate activities of meadowbird protectionists (who – in general – have little sympathy for anything but meadowbirds). This represents the fifth documented case of ground-breeding of Buzzards in The Netherlands, at least four of which were not successful.