Proto
Legendary Member
- Location
- East Devon/West Dorset
Out on a walk the other day and saw 3 buzzards in the distance over the fields. Got out phone to log the sighting (yes, I keep lists!), and as I and the birds got closer I suddenly twigged my main reason for thinking "buzzards" was big BoP and we have a fair number of buzzards around so big assumption and ... realised they are not buzzards but red kites. Swooping around over a recently mown field of hay, cut grass/hay still drying on field, virtually over my head.
Only other red kit seen anywhere near the location was a year ago 10 miles away so three and close was brilliant.
Then wondering why they moved there. It's open arable countryside but National Grid built a pop-up supply depot on a bit of farm and no planning permission, but 24/7 generators, flood lighting through all hours of darkness had quickly driven all wildlife away (including several buzzards, rabbits, etc.) and that somewhat devastating impact lasted for 12+ months. complaints to planners and after a bit the depot went so I wondered if the "gap" in the food chain left by the buzzards being driven away has been filled by the Red Kites before buzzards as the ecology tries to re-instate itself.
Ian
I live in a wooded valley halfway between Axminster and Lyme Regis, wildlife aplenty. Constant stream of buzzards, just look up and you'll always see at least one, maybe two or even three floating about with their shill cry.
I've never seen a red kite here but I've seen them three or four miles away at Marshwood and a similar distance the other side of Axminster. I've seen them near Crewkerne and Honiton, too. So maybe the abundance of buzzards here in the valley is keeping the kites away, which is a shame, fabulous things. Saw hundreds of them of them when I lived in east Oxfordshire at the bottom of the Chilterns, we even had them in the garden on occasion.
Late Saturday afternoon drove past Bridport to Litton Cheney in the Bride Valley for a friend's birthday party. Small country lane. Not far from our destination and had to hit the brakes hard to avoid a snake wriggling across the road. Pretty sure it was a grass snake but by the time I jumped out of the car it was gone, they disappear amazingly quickly. Chatting to a Forestry England ranger at Trinity Hill Nature Reserve, Axminster a couple of weeks back and he told me there are plenty of adders about, you just need to know where to look!
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