Dead Buzzard and Barn Owl on Bedford Bypass

I was told that a large bird of prey was lying in the central reservation of the Bedford Bypass (A421). So this evening I drove along the section from Bedford to the Black Cat roundabout with the A1 to look for the bird. In fact I found two.

The first was a freshly killed Barn Owl bird lying just west of the bridge carrying the road from Great Barford to Wilden. The second was a Buzzard (see photo), lying just west of the bridge carrying the Roxton to Chawston road.

Neither bird had been ringed. Sadly many birds of prey, but in particular many Barn Owls, are casualties on Britain's roads. If you do find any dead bird please check if it had been ringed and, if so, report it to the British Trust for Ornithology using this website.