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Red Kites, Other Birds & Wildlife in General

ProfJames

Elementary member
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Berkshire, UK
Two beautiful Red Kites (or maybe Buzzards, not sure) sit at the end of my next door neighbour's fence and peruse the open fields for carrion. What a fantastic sight in the morning! Everyday they are there for about an hour and then, when they leave, out come all the other birds and the two squirrels!

Love nature! How lucky I am!!
 
Nice. Red kites have slightly forked tails. Buzzard's are squarer. Buzzards are generally a bit chunkier.
 
Thanks Nick, will investigate. Heard differing reports that they will only eat carrion. Then someone says that they have been known to take live prey. Which is true or both?
 
Two beautiful Red Kites (or maybe Buzzards, not sure) sit at the end of my next door neighbour's fence and peruse the open fields for carrion. What a fantastic sight in the morning! Everyday they are there for about an hour and then, when they leave, out come all the other birds and the two squirrels!

Love nature! How lucky I am!!

:) Me too, we have half a dozen circling above the village every day, they are gorgeous and so elegant, shall try and take some pics.
 
I am surprised that the Kites turn up as my Robin is such a tough character! Almost as tough as the Moorhens in the ponds down the lane!
 
Thanks Nick, will investigate. Heard differing reports that they will only eat carrion. Then someone says that they have been known to take live prey. Which is true or both?

A local gamekeeper said they do take live prey, however, they have never had any of my chickens and they have 50 odd to choose from, they circle directly above. In the summer when I am breeding, they have never taken any chicks, it is the Magpies and Crows which take those. As far as I am aware they usually only take carrion, I pick up road kill and put them up on top of one of the sheds, they have come and had dinner.
 
Two beautiful Red Kites (or maybe Buzzards, not sure) sit at the end of my next door neighbour's fence and peruse the open fields for carrion. What a fantastic sight in the morning! Everyday they are there for about an hour and then, when they leave, out come all the other birds and the two squirrels!

Love nature! How lucky I am!!
A red kite is distinguished by the underside of its white wing patches and orange forked tail.
 
We don't see many kites up here, used to in North Yorkshire, we do have lots of kestrels, owls and buzzards. They look so graceful in flight however not so graceful is the sparrow-hawk that occassionally loves to bring his prey into our garden and devour it. He does that guarding thing with his wings and when it snowed really heavily a couple of years ago I managed to get some clear shots without disturbing him. We have a pair of owls that nest in the barn (do owls nest?) and they screech at each other all night - it's a lovely sound. I too feel lucky to live in the country, even if I sometimes miss the convenience of town living.

We also get woodpeckers on the willow tree and sometimes out dog walking get a glimpse of the green woodpecker - he seems a little shy to come in the garden.

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/

It's Big Bird watch this weekend - get registered and spend an hour bird watching and counting :)
 
BTW that doesn't mean looking for Big Birds!!
 
First time for me recently was a sparrowhawk having a go through our hedge trying to catch a blackbird. I must admit my sympathies were with the raptor but the plucky black'un got away
 
I'd have thought more likely buzzards if they're preapared to perch for a while near human habitation. Red kites tend to be more shy about landing. They even prefer to pick up their food on the wing. Either way, a lovely sight so close to home.
 
Thanks all. Big Martin - there are a number of houses that leave out food on bird tables in my area to feed the Kites. Not sure if that is good for them but they are becoming more comfortable around gardens. Will check to see if Buzzards though, thanks.
 
I've got a soft spot for buzzards. They look big and imposing but as birds of prey go they're pretty wimpish and take rather small prey. A large portion of their diet tends to be earthworms. Also their call is a sort of kittenish mew.
 
Lots of buzzards here in the Scottish Borders. I've never put a kitten to the noise but I'll try next time.

The wife has been buzzed by them at nesting time, fairly scary I understand, but the buzzard's doing well after counselling
 
We had a couple of buzzards last summer where I walk the dog in a morning. Often just sat in the tree but did see a couple of low level fly pasts.

There are usually some herons there too and the year before I last saw a kingfisher a few times.

Jx
 
We had a couple of buzzards last summer where I walk the dog in a morning. Often just sat in the tree but did see a couple of low level fly pasts.

There are usually some herons there too and the year before I last saw a kingfisher a few times.

Jx
Haven't seen a kingfisher for years. Was that in Stockport (just down the road)? Would be nice if it was in a wheelchair-accessible park or something.
 
We had a couple of buzzards last summer where I walk the dog in a morning. Often just sat in the tree but did see a couple of low level fly pasts.

There are usually some herons there too and the year before I last saw a kingfisher a few times.

Jx
Several years ago I worked in Gatley Carr (check that spelling please!) driving a 16t Hitachi digger for a mate. Cleaning out these old ponds that had been used as tips and for fly tipping. They found orange crested newts and declared the land as an "area of outstanding beauty"! Not before I sank the digger!!! The spread boards gave way and it sank!!! £40k later to crane it out.......oops and the point was that there were Kingfishers there as well!!
 
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