Birds of prey lock in combat

South Downs, West Sussex The buzzard raises its wings and lifts its talons up towards the kite, which responds and the two clashDark shadows tumble across the hillside. The clouds are being hurried along by the wind, and the rain is subsiding. A chattering flock of linnets bounces from hedge to hedge, across the shining, wet chalk track in front of me. In the middle of the field is a brown shape, like a large mound of mud. It shifts its position every few minutes. Looking through binoculars, I s