Nature likes its privacy. Too bad. A pair of incredibly elusive honey buzzards in Sussex is currently broadcasting their domestic life 24/7 to anyone with an internet connection. They laid two eggs. Now, the cameras are rolling.
These birds are ghosts. They fly all the way from West Africa in May, slip into quiet British woodlands, and disappear. Until now, we knew next to nothing about their nesting habits. This livestream changes that.
“It’s phenomenal,” says Ash Walmsley, the Ashdown Forest countryside boss running the show. He is ecstatic. His team rigged several nests with cameras before the birds even landed in the UK. Most failed. This one didn’t.
The feed has already shattered assumptions. Take the male. He sat on those eggs for 22 straight hours. No breaks. No food runs. Just pure, stubborn duty.
Then there is the noise. Microphones picked up strange sounds. The female makes a bizarre clicking noise, like a distant motorbike, alongside a soft whistle. Experts think British ears have never heard this before.
These birds are weird. They eat wasp larvae. People constantly mistake them for common buzzards. Because they are so rare—only about 130 to 150 breeding pairs exist in the entire UK—their exact location is a state secret. Egg thieves and looky-loos are a real threat.
Sussex is a hotspot, hosting over 20 of those pairs. They mate for life. They return to the same spots. Now, thanks to a team-up between Ashdown Forest, the Sussex Ornithological Society, and tech firm Wildlife Windows, their privacy is gone.
Mark Mallalieu from the ornithological society points out how rare this access is. We get to watch them feed, nest, and hopefully, raise their chicks. It is reality TV, but with feathers. You can watch the stream on the Ashdown Forest and SOS websites.
