just went downstairs to make a coffee and noticed a large bird of prey hovering in the sky. at first i thought it was a buzzard as i live in devizes and they are fairly common here,but as is soared closer to my window i saw it was a red kite 😀
chuffed to bits to see one they are both very large and very beautiful birds to say the least 🙂
Used to live in the Chilterns. They seem to be pretty much everywhere down that way now. Reintroduction seems to have gone really well. I've noticed a few as far up as Coventry in the last few years.
Working Chilterns way and yeah hundreds of them. Where they were reintroduced I think.
There's a couple round Woking. Hear them but usually by the time I've looked or got the camera out they're way off However snapped this fella yesterday.
I live in the Chilterns - they're everywhere. I can generally see one just by looking out of my home office window.
Saw a stack of 5 or 6 of them circling above High Wycombe.
I see them occasionally too at work in Northampton.
As you say, magnificent birds and still around despite Henry VIII.
@Deadkenney - where's the like button? 🙂
Used to drive through Wattlington every week and they were everywhere, really impressive birds.
Kites were reintroduced to the Black Isle north of Inverness. For years you'd see them there but nowhere else in the area. Suddenly they seem to have blossomed and spread to a much wider area. We had a pair fly over our house in Inverness the other week. Beautiful birds.
Derwent Valley ...all the way up from Swalwell ( nr. Newcastle-upon Tyne )..through Rowlands Gill and as far as Edmundbyers ..always spot one above Tescos at Rowlands Gill...
Yesterday in our small park in Guildford we had a red kite flying about 10 metres above the ground! The park was busy with people enjoying the weather and folks just stopped and watched the magnificent beastie. Wonderful things.
Almost started my own thread a couple of weeks back as they are so amusing as a farmer. I won't see them all year but witihin 15 minutes of me going out to mow a field in summer I can now guarantee there will be 1 or 2 hovering above the tractor until the job is finished. Beautiful birds but quite comical as they dive into the fresh cut grass to gab a rabbit or mouse behind me and then lift off carrying a huge clump of grass as they go. Often they have to fight the buzzards for the rewards too.
Had a close encounter with one on the Long Mynd while riding there as I surprised it coming round a corner. Was probably closer than 2 metres as it flew off. They are BIG close up!
well i didn’t expect to see that this morning.
That's what she said
I borrowed a drone (Phantom 2). Sunday morning I took it outside for my first solo flight. Clear skys in every direction, not a person about in a nice clear field. I got the thing off the ground to about 10m altitude put it in the hover. Then suddenly a red blur over my left shoulder and a dive bombing Red kite hit the drone. Fortunately drone and kite survived the impact but frightened the bejesus out of me. After literally 5 seconds of flight to have had an accident was going to be hard to explain.
It appears that one pair of Red Kites enjoy complete air supremacy over this bit of land and have no plans for that to change.
Stayed in a campsite in Henley last year and the Red Kites were constantly circling overhead. Scared the bejusus out of me when one dived to catch something just behind me.
Thought I saw one near Ely the other day but I don't think they are known to be there.
They've spread progressively from Oxford / Chilterns area - 20 years ago you'd only see them north of the M4 but I see them regularly in North Hampshire, Surrey and West Sussex and as far as the South Downs. The same with buzzards - they are pretty ubiquitous these days. The rabbit population has notable declined too. The irony is that if I go to upland "wilderness" areas in Northern England like the Yorkshire Dales you'll not see any large raptors at all.
This chap spends a lot of his day in this tree 40ft from my bedroom.
Noisey bugger.
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They were introduced onto the Getty Estate in Chilterns from Spain they did want to use the welsh population as the donor but decided there werent enough. Also introduced in Rutland and Yorkshire somewhere I think. Loads commute into Reading on a daily basis to pick up food dropped in the schools field!
Saw a pair in the Cotswolds the other day, first I've seen.
I see them regularly around Cambridge so there is every chance you saw one at Ely
Saw the title, thought louise
They’re always along the M4 around Reading, and they’re slowly spreading west into Wiltshire, plus the now abundant Welsh population is spreading across the Bristol Channel east and south towards Taunton and the Somerset Levels. I’ve seen them along the A303 going towards Salisbury, and I’ve seen them around Avebury, over the centre of Chippenham, and along the Batheaston Bypass into Bath. Nowhere near as common as buzzards are, but it took them some time to increase in numbers after years of persecution and the effects of DDT. Not surprising that they’re around Devizes, it’s no distance at all from the Avebury area, and around Calne, where I’ve seen them on occasion. Really looking forward to when they’re as ubiquitous as buzzards are. They might start having a tussle with the local ravens for air and territorial superiority, though! They were so common in London during the Middle Ages going after offal dumped in the streets they were called shite hawks. Gives my heart a lift watching a kite in flight, stunning bird.
Dovebiker ...
As mentioned earlier ..Red Kites are seen at Edmundbyers on the edge of the North Pennines ..a true wilderness area..
Buzzards are two a penny in the area of Northumberland where I live ..and of course we have Osprey's at Kielder ..officially the most remote location in England ..just because you haven't seen them doesn't mean they don't exist 😁
Loads of Kites round here in North Yorkshire. It's a pity that certain peabrained arsewipes with shotguns think they're some kind of threat, which they aren't cos they mainly eat carrion.
Thick as **** some people.
Really looking forward to when they’re as ubiquitous as buzzards are.
Rarely see a buzzard around Newbury I often wonder if thats due to all the Kites.
Rarely see a buzzard around Newbury I often wonder if thats due to all the Kites.
No idea why that would be, they seem to live in perfect harmony round here & often see 4 or more of each circling together.
Cycling around South Notts, I witnessed an avian Mexican stand off. A buzzard, crow and red kite were having a bit of a set to, they went their separate ways shortly after. Not too far to Rutland where they are quite well established. Great to see, and hopefully will avoid persecution from gamekeepers if sufficient in number
Used to have them flying over our house 5 miles east of Marlborough years ago so I'm surprised the OP hasn't seen one in Devises before now
Loads around Bracknell and reading. Last year or so a couple seem to have taken up residence round at sheets heath near Woking / brookwood. Always seeing them. There's quite a few buzzards around as well now.
they'll come to and feed in the garden for chicken thighs.... their sense of smell is amazing and the flight skills are amazing to watch, they come across the garden in a kind of "slide" slip then stall dive flare out to snatch the booty and 3 to 4 big wing beats and away.... the most wonderful birds
Last year or so a couple seem to have taken up residence round at sheets heath near Woking / Brookwood
The ones I see are around Old Woking, though usually just see one, but two the other day. Might be the same as the Brookwood ones just taking a stroll. They cover a lot of distance.
Not seen the peregrines though. http://www.wokingperegrines.com/
Though one is injured https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/woking-peregrine-falcon-hits-fourth-14772684
Live South of Henley and can usually see five or six in flapping around outside and 10 or 12 when walking dog around Rec behind house. Magnificent sight.
Rarely see a buzzard around Newbury I often wonder if thats due to all the Kites.
we're just north-east of Newbury, and have a family of five buzzards in the surrounding woods. Coupled with the kites (14 of them over the garden this afternoon). As we're at the top of the hill in the thames valley, there's a lot of thermals, and the raptors all love it
The buzzards and kites ignore each other. It's the corvids that hassle them both. Despite seeing them all day every day, I still can't get enough of them.
Course, you'll always get some one like this.... http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/16308494.letter-red-kite-singing-is-keeping-us-awake/?ref=mr&lp=8
We drove back north from Pembrokeshire today and stopped for lunch at Bwlch Nant yr Aran.
There must have been 150 of them!!!
There are indeed ace.
i saw one between mill hill & borehamwood t’other month!!
There are lots of raptors about in Herts this year.:-)
we’re just north-east of Newbury, and have a family of five buzzards in the surrounding woods
Thats good. It just strikes me that I see more Buzzards when visiting my mum up in Worcestershire than back here. Maybe just luck.
It's quite a show at NyA.
Many years ago, in the dark days, I stood vigil over raptor nests in the Brecon Beacons National Park. It lifts my heart a bit to think that I had a very tiny part to play in the successful expansion of the bird's population.
Nearest Red Kite release site to us is Harewood House. They've got as far west as middle Wharfedale - Ilkley and Grassington - but not made it to Skipton and surrounds yet. We've a pair of buzzards that nest at the bottom of the field in front of the house (well in a tree actually 🙂 ), at least one of these was a youngster from another locally based pair.
Often get a kestrel hovering above the garden, it's usually level with the bathroom window so you can be sat in the bath with a kestrel about 15 metres away!
Shitehawks. Thousands of 'em
Can hardly move for them over my way. I once nearly got hit by a rabbit that one dropped! One of the nests nearest to Flash Towers has just fledged, and it's great to watch the early stages of flight.
Seem to live happily alongside the buzzards.
We are just north of Heathrow in West Drayton and they are a common sight now.
We have had bunnies for four years now, and in the first two years we would let them out in an open run in the garden and wouldn’t think twice about going to the shops for a few hours... that was until last year when a Red Kite got within 4-5 metres of our fluffy friends before being scared off by a trampoline full of screaming kids.
Great picture eddiebaby.
Compelling birds to watch, so masterful in the air.
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[url= https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1829/42087855765_ab053108c1_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1829/42087855765_ab053108c1_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/278agcB ]Red Kite IMGL0015[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/97014723@N07/ ]Tim Russon[/url], on Flickr
A pair were quite happily mooching about less than 10mts above the Waitrose car park in Brecon the other weekend!
Loads of people about and virtually no one realised as they were too busy trying to stock up on bbq food as the sun was out.
We have them flying about all the time (Derwent Valley near Gateshead). Kids love spotting them and I like waking up in the morning opening the curtains and watching out for a pair flying about whilst having a brew in bed 🙂 Usually look best when the suns low lighting them up from below in an evening. One landed in the verge opposite my garden a few times probably having a go at a something it thought was edible before being scared off by kids playing nearby then coming back - they are bigger than you expect up close and powerful taking off!
Obviously Rhayader is Red Kite central but a couple of years ago we rode along this BW http://streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=294457&Y=268936&A=Y&Z=120 and there must have been close to a hundred sitting on fence poles and tree branches. When they took off it felt like the sky darkened, plus they are spookily big when they fly past you.
Gazc
Did you also know that there is an otter family in residence at the " lake" in the country park near Swalwell..
Other than a sea otter I had never seen an otter in the wild having lived in a really rural part of Northumberland for the last twenty plus years ..and with the North Tyne only a stone's throw away from my house ..amazed to see a family of three just a couple of months back while out riding down the Derwent Walk .
Surprisingly they seemed totally unperturbed by the amount of folks around at the time ..and I was taken aback that my first viewing of them was in a relatively urban area ..
Great to see, and hopefully will avoid persecution from gamekeepers if sufficient in number
In the lowlands they are mostly doing ok with the pheasant gamekeepers. However the overall success story suddenly goes wrong when they reach the grouse moors.
For the buzzards vs Kites. Round here they seem to get on well enough. Often see both circling close to each other.
The crows tend to harass both equally.
A good ten to fifteen years ago I was walking with friends through woods in mid Wales when suddenly all hell broke loose and every bird in the forest scarpered in the same direction, all making a hell of a racket. Seconds later three red kites flew over, cruising around at tree top level. You could see the sun shining through their wing feathers and their heads moving as they checked us out. We get them now where we live on the edge of the Ribble Valley; I think they must nest on Whalley Nab.
I was over in Norfolk on the beach near Holkham Hall and saw one over the trees. Didn't think that they had extended their range that far. Look forward to them reaching the north west of England in due course.
Many years ago, in the dark days, I stood vigil over raptor nests in the Brecon Beacons National Park. It lifts my heart a bit to think that I had a very tiny part to play in the successful expansion of the bird’s population.
In mid-Wales there were only a few pairs nesting back in the 80s and despite all the work done to protect them they didn't seem to increase in numbers. I think the genetic pool might have been just too small because once they were introduced to the Chilterns, they really took off (sorry!). I think only one of those introduced birds was from Wales, the rest from Sweden. I can remember seeing them along the M40 but not really anywhere else, then they starting appearing further afield (they have also been introduced at a number of other locations around the island). As mentioned they are common in Surrey, but what has been more interesting to me is the natural spread of buzzards. Ten years ago when I saw buzzards over the North Downs I thought I was imagining it. Now I see them almost every time I go walking. I usually hear them first. Kestrels are a far rarer site.
I was over in Norfolk on the beach near Holkham Hall
they've been up there a couple of years now; if that's one part of the world that needs a raptor (more than a few marsh harriers), it's there. I've never cycled around so many rabbits/hares/pheasants etc on the road.
I live about 10 minutes from Norfolk, and have been here about 5 years, we get loads here and it seems to have increased year on year.
I do think the barn owl and smaller hawk population seems to be dwindling though and this is backed up by a few local gamekeepers, so not sure if the two are related at all.
As for pheasants, we have so many estates here breeding them and the gamekeepers in places can be lazy, putting the feed for them next to the road, plus in the words of my daughter when Trump was voted in "Americans are they as stupid as pheasants..?"
We are amok though with rabbits, hares and muntjac deer at the moment, part of the fun of commuting by bike in Norfolk is having to learn the "road-kill bunny hop" so that you don't have to constantly swerve around them..
I live about 10 minutes from Norfolk, and have been here about 5 years, we get loads here and it seems to have increased year on year.
I do think the barn owl and smaller hawk population seems to be dwindling though and this is backed up by a few local gamekeepers, so not sure if the two are related at all.
I don't think so, kites go for carrion and are opportunists not "hunters" as such (though i have seen one with a massive snake once) they would impinge on the corvid population if any. We do seem to get far more skylarks and lapwings since the reintroduction
There are plenty of kites around the Peterborough area - there's something just off the southbound carriageway of the A1 at Junction 17 that has them all circling around - we keep meaning to go & investigate.
You also see plenty around Stamford/Oakham way too.
On my local rides north of Peterborough and generally west a bit, I see quite a few kites, less buzzards & the occasional barn owl if you get the time of day right.