Naturewatch - Red Kites

There are loads in Harrogate, absolutely gorgeous birds.

 

We have lots of buzzards in our area but no red kites.

 

Always like to see birds of prey hovering but I never know for certain which bird they actually are! I’m guessing mainly kestrels or sparrowhawks round here?

 

They were reintroduced on the Harewood Estate some time back. They are often seen coming down the Meanwood valley these days into North Leeds. Presume the same in Harrogate, which is only a few miles from Harewood.Around nesting time rooks gang up on them to chase them off. It's a pretty good watch.

 

I was working North Leeds about four summers ago when all the birds around us stopped chattering.... above were 2 red kites!
Same job; we had the joy of watching a heron raiding a fish pond lol

 

I live near Garforth and they are very common here, very unusual to go a day without seeing one if you're out and about. They'll make their way down to the countryside around Barnsley eventually.

 

Common sight really now, wasn't always that way but its lovely sat in the back garden in summer watching them and listening to them gliding in a clear blue sky ( that's a less common sight!), not so lovely when one of the buggers comes up from behind the bush with a screech when you didn't know it was there!

 

there's a lot over the fields and trees to the side of the showground which is near to Harewood

 

You do get the occasional one in the Barnsley area, definitely seen in Wombwell. More regular site as other have mentioned round Leeds - spotted them myself very low overhead while walking down the main road in Crossgates and from a friend's garden in Adel.

 

I had a similar experience driving down the M40 to Wycombe away in 2018/19. Counted 50 in the first half an hour or so then just gave up as there were so many overhanging the motorway looking for carrion. And to top it off there were a few circling over the woods above Adams Park at any given point in the game, which was by far the most entertaining thing to happen in a 1-0 loss where the kiosks ran out of hot water, in December!

One of my favourite birds but very localised. Where they're resident they're relatively abundant, but you'll hardly ever see one elsewhere.

 

Yes that’s probably the most densely populated area in the country for these birds. It’s all very familiar to me of course having spent years living in Princes Risborough and Aylesbury and some days there were dozens circling over PR together looking for the food that some people put out for them. This is the wrong thing to do though as they are naturally a carrion feeding bird. I did a lot of crack of dawn driving around there and it was quite a sight to see one swoop down to pick up a dead creature off the road. Beautiful birds.

 

Yes, see heron's in Meanwood beck quite a bit & saw an egret a couple of weeks back, which was a first. Also seen roe dear in Meanwood woods. You usually see them further up the trail, but not down near the park.

 

I had one dive bomb literally just in front of me around Lampeter in Ceredigion. I was mesmerised watching it hover above, dropping lower, realising there was roadkill in the middle of my single lane and it was coming right for it. It got to the ground just as I was upon it, it realised and then took off, the edge of its wing clipped the top of the windscreen and thankfully it was fine.

It was an incredible sight though. The whole wingspan of it literally inches from me, covering the whole windscreen is it flew back up, no doubt cursing me for spoiling its swoop. I still can't forgive my missus for not getting a picture of it!

 

Seen loads when working in harrogate and north Leeds. One early morning on a single track road top side of harrogate, had to slow down for one in the road on a roadkill. Seemed the width of the road when it took off!

 

We visited gigrin farm near rhayader (Wales) to watch them being fed. An hour prior to feeding time there was nothing to see, but as the time came the sky became full of them. We walked to a hide then a tractor came with meat in the trailer to feed em. Quite a spectacle to see them swooping down to grab food, and rob each other in midair. Buzzards and a couple of albino kites among them too. Worth a visit.

 

I recall driving past a couple of places like that, and I've seen it on some nature programme before. Though I'm sure it would be interesting, I'm not sure how I would feel about it. There's nothing quite like seeing something doing it's thing in the wild without knowing human intervention.

Beautiful elegant birds though, and thankfully becoming more prominent.... though sadly crimes against birds of prey seems to be on the rise.

 

The feeding was started by the farmer in the early 90s, and was encouraged to open to the public by the RSPB. He had 6 pairs roosting on his land, now there can be up to 600 arriving to be fed in winter.
The fellow I work for lives high in the dales and when I go to his home it's rare to see a bird of prey other than the odd buzzard!
Our garden is a regular stop off for sparrow hawks, there acrobatics are incredible around the bird feeders. Also saw a peregrine fly over sat morning which is a 1st for me at home.

 

We've had the odd rare sparrowhawk (I'd say I'm about 4 miles from London Bridge) but thats it for birds of prey. Though I did hear that there is a peregrine (don't know if a pair) just round the corner at the HQ of the sally army which has a huge tower within its building just opposite Denmark Hill station. I'm hoping they might get a bit of interest and encourage viewing of them, but the site might be a bit difficult for that. But lovely to know.

 

I think their natural nesting sites which are cliffs, are now replaced by city centre tall buildings and church towers. Plenty of prey such as pigeons about aswell. I bet you're more likely to see them than me where you are.