Migrating honey buzzards tagged

From Wildlife Extra:

Satellite tracking honey buzzards from Wales to Africa

September 2008. A rare honey buzzard from Wales has started his migration early and is already heading south across Africa.

The bird, a male from a breeding pair in South Wales has been fitted with a satellite tag by researchers from Ecology Matters as part of a research programme into this rare species. A second bird, a female from North Wales, has also been tagged and is now on her way south in France.

Honey buzzards

Although superficially resembling the common buzzard, Honey Buzzards are in fact more closely related to kites. They are a secretive and elusive bird which spends a lot of time in the tree canopy of their forest habitat.

Increasing in the UK

Honey buzzards are common on the continent, yet they have never been recorded as common in Britain, and probably became extinct around the turn of the last century. They returned to breed occasionally and in the last few years they appear to be increasing, and the British population is now thought to be at least 100 pairs. They were first recorded breeding in Wales around 1991, and the population there is now possibly 20 pairs.

Second Honey buzzard poised to cross the Sahara: here.

African-European bird migration: here.