In Touch With Nature – Common Buzzard

Posted: February 24, 2026 | Author: robertawrites235681907 | Filed under: Uncategorized |2 Comments

Nothing common about this buzzard

What a thrill to see you perched atop a tree

scanning the area; you have exceptional vision

head rotating, your eyes pass lightly over me

irrelevant in the context of your meal decision

I watch you staring at the mound filled earth

seeking signs of movement, either mouse or mole

your wings gracefully spreading once prey is found

the effort rewarded; of rodents there is no dearth

their silhouettes outlined as they emerge from a hole

in stealthy pursuit you soar gracefully to the ground

seizing your unsuspecting prey with grasping talons

tearing it apart with your sharp, hooked beak

one creature must die in order for another to live

one of nature’s most effective mammal assassins

your quarry succumbs without so much as a squeak

you, the victorious combatant, your prey unresistive

***

Tourist bird, I enjoy your annual visits to these shores

in migrating flocks of up to twenty of your comrades

gliding effortlessly over large expanses without pause

with a predetermined flightpath, you aren’t nomads

though your arrival may be met with strong resistance

from smaller birds who view you as a potential threat

mobbing you repeatedly until you relent and fly away

not much of a welcome after covering such distance

your feathery bulk the cause of much upset

an illusion to disguise how little you really weigh

a monogamous creature, you usually mate for life

your partner smaller, and suited to hunting prey

while for three weeks your chicks you brood

working as a team, you experience little strife

knowing he’ll deliver small morsels without delay

until they fledge and you join the search for food

About Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Roberta Eaton Cheadle, is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader in these genres and her writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.

Roberta has two published novels and a collection of short stories and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories included in several anthologies. She is also a contributor to the Ask the Authors 2022 (WordCrafter Writing Reference series).

Roberta is also the author and illustrator of seventeen children’s books, illustrator to a further three children’s books, and the author and illustrator of four poetry books published under the name of Robbie Cheadle, and has poems and short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

Roberta’s blog features discussions about classic books, book reviews, poetry, and photography. https://roberta-writes.com/.

Find Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Blog: https://wordpress.com/view/robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/robbiecheadle.bsky.social

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Roberta-Eaton-Cheadle/e/B08RSNJQZ5

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This segment of “In Touch with Nature” is sponsored by the Midnight Anthology Series and WordCrafter Press.

Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories: 20 authors bring your nightmares to life in 23 stories of ghosts, paranormal phenomenon and the horror from the dark crevasses of their minds. Stories of stalkers, both human and supernatural, possession and occult rituals, alien visitations of the strange kind, and ghostly tales that will give you goosebumps. These are the tales that will make you fear the dark. Read them at the Midnight Roost… if you dare. https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Roost-Kaye-Lynne-Booth-ebook/dp/B0CL6FPLVJ

Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow: 17 authors bring you 21 magnificent dark tales. Stories of magic, monsters and mayhem. Tales of murder and madness which will make your skin crawl. These are the tales that explore your darkest fears. Read them in the Midnight Garden… if you dare. https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Garden-Where-Tales-Anthology-ebook/dp/B0DJNDQJD3

Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares: 14 authors bring you 16 dark tales that explore your deepest fears. These are the stories which nightmares are made of. Tales of monsters, mayhem, and madness which will make you shiver in the dark. Read them while you burn the Midnight Oil… if you dare. https://books2read.com/Midnight-Oil

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