Surviving a winter in the Pewsey vale in Wiltshire can be a tough challenge for the uninitiated but, as any devotee to the area will tell you, rich rewards do follow.

Yesterday morning I was driving to the nearby village of All Cannings when I passed a buzzard sat on the top of a hedge. I had my camera with me so I decided to turn around and go back to where he was, not really expecting him to remain long enough for me to get a shot. To my amazement, as I wound the passenger side window down, the buzzard just perched there and held my gaze for a few moments. In these moments I was looking straight into his eyes, soul to soul in oneness. As I raised my camera he decided to turn and fly off, but I managed to get this shot.

Buzzard flies off as I take a shot

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