Latest news with #buzzard
BBC News
3 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
A buzzard named Brenda has caused a school playground ban
A buzzard named Brenda has been causing a bit of chaos in the village of Havering-atte-Bower, in bird of prey has been spotted swooping down at people - so children at the nearby local primary school have been told they cannot play outside while the bird is RSPCA thinks that Brenda's behaviour could be because she is protecting a nest or are one of the most common birds of prey in the UK, and are a protected species under UK law, meaning that the options on what to do about Brenda "are very limited" according to the local council. Havering Council said its health and safety team has given "detailed advice to the academy trust which looks after the school", including things they can do to safely deter Brenda from swooping at people, including hiring a falconry expert who understands the bird's school's Head Teacher Stella McCarthy told the BBC they were trying to figure out a way to allow children to play outside where possible, including taking pupils to a nearby school for outdoor play and finding a different location for sports day."We had to think about how to risk assess this... it's quite an unusual situation, having to risk assess a buzzard," she said. After accepting that "there was nothing we could do" to remove the bird of prey, the school decided to embrace her instead."The children named the bird Brenda and put out posters for protecting Brenda and looking after her... they've been writing stories, reports; next week they'll be doing newspaper articles, they've done artwork."As part of their learning, they even had a bird of prey expert visit the school - bringing with him a Chilean blue buzzard eagle called Ross Hicking said: "Guido (can) help educate the children about what Brenda the buzzard is dong, why she's behaving like this, the natural habits of buzzards, to foster interest in birds of prey and also to teach them about conservation and what we can do to protect birds of prey in the wild."He also said that, while "99% of the time" buzzards would avoid people due to fear, Brenda's swooping could be connected with the nesting also said that living in an area near to people meant that "she's a lot more comfortable around people and lot less fearful than most buzzards would be."
Daily Mail
9 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Terrifying moment dive-bombing buzzard attacks woman in her dressing gown and slippers - as bird of prey's reign of terror forces primary school pupils inside at break times
This is the terrifying moment a buzzard swoops down and attacks a woman in her dressing gown and slippers, as the bird continues to terrorise a village. The bird has terrorised villagers in Havering-atte-Bower for months and has forced one local primary school to temporarily ban pupils from going outside during break time. The buzzard, nicknamed Brenda by local school children is believed to be part of a mating pair. Local resident and parent Louise Whittle, narrowly missed being injured by the buzzard, while in her dressing gown and slippers. Footage shows the moment a buzzard flies down from the roof of a nearby house, appearing to aim for the mum's head. She quickly ducks and manages to run away from the bird, which landed on a fence nearby. Louise said: 'It's absolutely bonkers that there is a buzzard attacking people.' Children at Dame Tipping Primary School have been forced to stay inside since Easter through fear of injury by the bird of prey, believed to be part of a mating pair. But, as buzzards are protected, the school says 'nothing which can be done' beyond the outdoor ban. Louise said the school has handled the issue 'brilliantly'. She added: 'The school have been absolutely fantastic in prioritising the children's safety and finding other alternatives for getting out. 'If anything, it's been a great learning experience for the children - they have learnt all about buzzards that they otherwise wouldn't have done.' However, Louise added that she is still concerned that 'the birds are being prioritised over the children' and said she is 'hopeful that they fly away so everyone can get back to normal'. Headteacher Stella McCarthy said the 'difficult decision' to keep the children inside was made after the birds became 'highly present' in the playground. She said: 'As a school, safeguarding and protecting children is of paramount importance.' The school has decided to use the situation as a learning experience for pupils, who have created posters promoting the protection of birds. Headteacher Ms McCarthy added: 'Luckily, as part of LIFE Education Trust, we have had excellent support enabling us to use the trust mini bus to regularly visit The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls where our children have engaged in outdoor learning activities, PE lessons and visited the school's farm. 'We have also introduced additional indoor breaks with lots of engaging activities including traditional board games, cup stacking competitions and puzzles.' The bird also dive-bombed on local resident Nikki Dix, 37, as she took a walk in the park. Ms Dix said she was 'dead shocked' when the bird attacked her from behind and left scratches on her head. She said: 'I was scared, I was taken back by it. 'He was giving me an evil eye so then I carried on my journey for quite a while just swinging my bag above my head because I was just like 'hopefully this will deter him from coming to get me, because if he does try again to get me maybe he won't be so nice'. 'Nothing like that normally gets me so I'm a little bit on high alert at the moment, that's why I've stayed away from that area as well.' The school has been liaising with Havering Council and various bird organisations to find solutions to the issue. The council said its health and safety team has provided the school's trust with 'detailed advice' on legal deterrents and the hiring of a falconry expert. A Havering Council spokesperson said: 'The RSPCA has advised that the buzzard may be protecting its nest or chicks, which lines up with the information we have received. 'Buzzards are protected under UK law, therefore our intervention options are very limited, and we have advised that warning signs would be the easiest solution at this time. 'We completely understand how difficult and worrying this situation is for the school and local residents and we regret that there is not a quick or straightforward solution.
The Sun
10 hours ago
- General
- The Sun
Moment woman is ATTACKED by dive-bombing buzzard terrorising town as primary school bans kids playing outside
DRAMATIC footage shows the moment a woman is attacked by a dive-bombing buzzard. Sparking havoc in Havering, East London, the terrorising bird even spurred a village primary school to ban children from playing outside. 6 6 6 The video - which was caught on a door cam - depicts the shocking moment local Louise Whittle narrowly avoids being clipped by the swooping buzzard. The bird-of-prey is seen flying about an inch away from the woman's head. Still dressed in her dressing gown, the unsuspecting resident is seen ducking, before running away from the animal. Havering Council has since advised students from Dame Tipping Primary School nearby to stay inside due to raised concerns about the buzzard. Head teacher Stella McCarthy said the school was taking children to a nearby outdoor area instead. She added that staff were trying to "embrace" the situation as a "learning experience" for the children. She told the BBC: "We had to think about how to risk assess this... it's quite an unusual situation, having to risk assess a buzzard. "We tried our nearer playground areas thinking they would be safe, but soon discovered that Brenda was quite attracted to children playing outside." A bird of prey expert, Ross Hicking, has also visited the school to help educate the students about the buzzard's behaviour. He brought with him a Chilean blue buzzard eagle called Guido. According to Ross, the buzzard is likely acting aggressively because she has a nest nearby because most of the time they would tend to avoid people. Another factor, he added, could be the suburban environment, which means the bird could be more comfortable around humans. The council said: "Our health and safety team have provided detailed advice to the academy trust responsible for the school, including the use of legal deterrents and other controls. "We completely understand how difficult and worrying this situation is for the school and local residents and we regret that there is not a quick or straightforward solution." Havering Council said the RSPCA had advised that the buzzard may be protecting its nest or chicks. The council has also suggested hiring a falconry expert who may be able to deter the aggressive bird. But as buzzards are a protected species under UK law, "intervention options are very limited". It comes after a man was attacked by a dive-bombing hawk in a quiet village leaving him bloodied and hospitalised earlier this year. The Harris's hawk was captured on camera after a string of attacks in the sleepy Hertfordshire village of Flamstead. Residents resorted to wearing helmets or hats to protect themselves from the dive-bombing bird of prey. Jim Hewitt, 75, also from Flamstead, was left bloodied when it swooped on him as he went to get milk and a newspaper. 6 6 6
The Guardian
a day ago
- General
- The Guardian
Brenda the buzzard terrorises children at Havering primary school
A buzzard called Brenda has been terrorising a 300-year-old primary school on the outskirts of London, sending children running for cover while neighbours have been dive bombed as they put out the bins. Pupils at Dame Tipping Church of England primary school in the village of Havering-atte-Bower, in the London borough of Havering, have been told they cannot play outside while the bird remains a threat. Neighbours, meanwhile, who have reported multiple sightings – and a number of attacks – over the past few months, have been advised to carry a large, coloured umbrella as a possible deterrent whenever they go out. 'She's huge,' said the headteacher, Stella McCarthy, who has had a number of close encounters with Brenda. 'She's really, really big. Her wing span is pretty much my arm span. It's quite frightening. 'When you see her perched somewhere, it's lovely. You think, what a beautiful bird. But when you're outside and you hear that squawk, you don't have much time. You know she's coming down.' It comes just weeks after villagers in Flamstead, near Luton, reported being attacked from behind by a Harris's hawk. Some were left bleeding and in at least one case requiring hospital treatment. The pupils in Havering-atte-Bower are being bussed to a neighbouring school for outdoor play, and arrangements are being made to hold sports day elsewhere, but teachers and pupils have embraced Brenda as an opportunity to learn about birds of prey. She has been spotted perched on school fences, and peering into classrooms. On one occasion, teacher Hannah Graves saw her watching from a nearby rooftop while pupils in years one and two played outside. 'Myself and the teaching assistant quickly got the children back inside, but I didn't realise the bird was swooping down towards me. My TA shouted to me to get inside quickly. It did shake me up.' The RSPCA said the buzzard may be protecting her nest or chicks. Pupils, meanwhile, are convinced there is a mate called Barry in the neighbourhood, and there is local speculation that her nest may have been disturbed by nearby renovation work. In April, the Romford Recorder carried a story about Nikki Dix, 37, who was attacked as she walked in nearby Havering country park. She took a picture of what she thought was a buzzard and carried on walking, then felt a bang on the back of her head. 'I was dead shocked,' she said. On Tuesday, when the Guardian visited the school, equipped with birdwatching binoculars, there were screaming swifts, fat pigeons and cawing crows but neither Brenda, nor any other bird of prey, was to be seen. But that did not stop parents – and reporters – flinching every time a bird-shaped shadow passed over. Steven Whittle, whose wife, Louise, is among those to have been attacked by the buzzard, cast his eyes nervously up to the skies as he picked up his children from school. In video footage, his wife can be seen putting out the rubbish in her pink dressing gown and slippers, then walking back to her front door, unaware that a huge bird of prey has swooped down to head level. She ducks at the last moment and is unhurt. 'In the last couple of months, pretty much all the neighbours have had some sort of encounter,' he said. 'If you hear a bird making any sort of sound, you are on edge. Every time you leave the house, you're watching.' Havering council has been advising the school about possibly hiring a falconry expert who may be able to deter the buzzard. 'Buzzards are protected under UK law, therefore our intervention options are very limited, and we have advised that warning signs would be the easiest solution at this time,' a council spokesperson said. 'We completely understand how difficult and worrying this situation is for the school and local residents and we regret that there is not a quick or straightforward solution.'
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Pupils told to stay indoors after buzzard nests in playground
A village primary school in east London has ordered pupils to stay inside due to a dive-bombing buzzard taking up residence in the are concerns the bird is guarding its nest and may attack children at Dame Tipping Primary School, Havering, after there were reports that it had swooped on residents in the village of Havering-atte-Bower in recent Council has said its health and safety team has provided "detailed advice to the academy trust responsible for the school, including the use of legal deterrents and other controls". The council has also suggested hiring a falconry expert who may be able to deter the raptor. 'No quick solution' Buzzards are the most common and widespread bird of prey in the UK and often feed on carrion, according to the RSPB. Havering Council said the RSPCA has advised that the buzzard may be protecting its nest or council said as buzzards are protected by law, "intervention options are very limited, and we have advised that warning signs would be the easiest solution at this time".The council added: "We completely understand how difficult and worrying this situation is for the school and local residents and we regret that there is not a quick or straightforward solution."
