"a detested kite"

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GrumpyGregry

Here for rides.
(No googling the reference in the thread title)

Spent last week in Mid-Wales, no time on the bike worse luck, but plenty of hours behind the wheel.

When I first started visiting there and when we lived there spotting a Milvus milvus was cause for much excited hopping from foot-to-foot, squealing, pointing, and general "Is it? Yes it is! Look at the tail" OMFG'ing. Later a trip to the Gigrin Farm would guarantee a sighting, but now...

Now the chuffers are everywhere. Saw dozens every day. They almost made the buzzards seem rare!

Where, outside of Mid-Wales, have you seen a Red Kite?
 
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ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
Seen more then I can remember in Beds, Bucks and Herts whilst riding there. On one ride, myself and @jayonabike saw 8 of the blighters circling above one field.
 

deptfordmarmoset

Full time tea drinker
Location
Armonmy Way
(No googling, the reference in the thread title)

Spent last week in Mid-Wales, no time on the bike worse luck, but plenty of hours behind the wheel.

When I first started visiting there and when we lived there spotting a Milvus milvus was cause for much excited hopping from foot-to-foot, squealing, pointing, and general "Is it? Yes it is! Look at the tail" OMFG'ing. Later a trip to the Gigrin Farm would guarantee a sighting, but now...

Now the chuffers are everywhere. Saw dozens every day. They almost made the buzzards seem rare!

Where, outside of Mid-Wales, have you seen a Red Kite?
They used to be all over the place in parts of Oxfordshire. There'd been a bit of a conservation work and many of the farmers seem to have happily taken it on board and put food out for them. They feed a lot on carrion, apparently.
 

Rickshaw Phil

Overconfidentii Vulgaris
Moderator
I see them from time to time round the Long Mynd and Stiperstones area in Shropshire, which I think is great given they were so rare not that long ago. Even saw one soaring on thermals above my house last summer.^_^
 
OP
OP
GrumpyGregry

GrumpyGregry

Here for rides.
They used to be all over the place in parts of Oxfordshire. There'd been a bit of a conservation work and many of the farmers seem to have happily taken it on board and put food out for them. They feed a lot on carrion, apparently.
Some Mid-Wales farmers claim they kill live lambs but others of my acquaintance assert only if the lamb is near death the kites preference being lambs/sheep that are dead already. Certainly seen them take live prey up in Hafren Forest but only small stuff.
 

deptfordmarmoset

Full time tea drinker
Location
Armonmy Way
Some Mid-Wales farmers claim they kill live lambs but others of my acquaintance assert only if the lamb is near death the kites preference being lambs/sheep that are dead already. Certainly seen them take live prey up in Hafren Forest but only small stuff.
Actually, the ones I saw were around Christmas Common so they were quite possibly the same ones that @User14044 reported.
 

Venod

Eh up
Location
Yorkshire
A lot round Harewood North of Leeds.

http://harewood.org/explore/bird-garden/bird/red-kites/
 

Levo-Lon

Guru
See loads at fineshade and wakerley woods . Cambs northants border area
know what you mean GG, none about as a kid and now its Kite heaven. I Love prey birds.
just had the Goshawk on country file..

see Kites over the house sometimes ..
 

Phyllosc

Active Member
Location
Coastal Suffolk
They're not resident in my part of Suffolk but I saw two last year, one only a couple of miles from home. Always good to see. We also had an escaped Milvus migrans hanging around for a little while...
 

jayonabike

Powered by caffeine & whisky
Location
Hertfordshire
Seen more then I can remember in Beds, Bucks and Herts whilst riding there. On one ride, myself and @jayonabike saw 8 of the blighters circling above one field.
They are everywhere around these parts. They were introduced back into the countryside back in the late 90's and they have breeded well. I love seeing them and never tire of seeing them. I saw a massive one taking a rest on a fence post by the side of the motorway in my lorry on Friday. Absolutely amazing bird to see, even when it's sitting still watching the world go by.
 
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