I'm retired and living in North Yorkshire, where I walk as often as I can, write, volunteer, and travel as often as I can.
View all posts by margaret21
Oh wouldn’t it be just wonderful to be able to soar high and get the views the kite must have? This year we seem to have so many kites around and loads of buzzards. The other day there was even a short-toed eagle…truly magnificent!
Fabulous. Seen them in the M4 corridor for years, but they have now turned up in Hampshire 🙂 Love seeing them join the Black Kites in displays at our local Hawk Conservancy
Oh what a fabulous sight that Kite is! And what a great landscape…. As to what the bird sees, it’ll be looking for small scurrying creatures, doubt it has much time for the wider landscape!
I love seeing red kites – they are amazing to watch high up in the sky. Not so amazing when they swoop down in front of your car to pick something up off the road. What a fright I got!
Like Jude, I’m waiting for the kites to reach us. We saw them all the time when we lived in Oxon. They will get to us, I’m sure. They are spreading widely now.
Beautiful shots, Margaret. Both the aerial and the earthbound.
Wonderful, to imagine what the kite sees. So glad we see more of these majestic birds now. And a lammergeier, bearded vulture but the biggest I think in the Pennines.
They are really getting around – great after being almost extinct. I was mobbed by around 30 in a Chilterns car park in 2000. They are well established near Newcastle-upon-Tyne (our friends feed them), and around Loch Lomond. We have a growing number here in Essex. They ae the most beautiful birds, with striking wing markings and piercing eyes. To watch them delicately adjusting their deeply forked tails to maintain position in the air is magical. Apologies for going on – I love them.
So do I. You’re clearly more knowledgeable than me though. Thy’e increasingly something we’re able to observe regularly though as they spread inexorably northwards.
Mrgaret21: I don’t think so, but thank you. Can see why your blog is so successful. Google interesting maps of their distribution (some areas in Scotland, as well as their sole location prior to re-introduction, in Wales). Some much more knowledgeable than me say that they don’t necessarily travel very far from where re-introduced, so what seems to us inexorable spread may partly be the effect of new introductions. What is certain is that they are thriving (so we see them) – not least due to road-kill (as you say, they are scavengers, not hunters).
Actually, the introductions to Harewood some years ago have been interesting, They definitely have slowly increased their territories year on year without further introductions being made – southwards to Leeds, and northwards to Harrogate and beyond. From being rare marvels, they’ve become quite common. But still marvels!
Your header shot was close but you needed a powerful uplight!!! Are you allowed to post a link to a website with a good pic without having to seek permission?
Try this: feeding in Wales (slow motion). Reminds me of my car park experience in the Chilterns 20 yearsago, and also an eco farm near Loch Lomond 2-3 years back. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtT2zlB-iHc
Some crag!
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Yes, it’s a bit of a local beauty spot.
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I am not surprised.
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Oh wouldn’t it be just wonderful to be able to soar high and get the views the kite must have? This year we seem to have so many kites around and loads of buzzards. The other day there was even a short-toed eagle…truly magnificent!
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Oh great! One of our memorable views in France was seeing an eagle fly overhead, with a writhing snake in its talons.
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How marvellous!
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Beautiful, and so lovely to see a kite.
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They’re increasingly common here – wonderful.
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Fabulous. Seen them in the M4 corridor for years, but they have now turned up in Hampshire 🙂 Love seeing them join the Black Kites in displays at our local Hawk Conservancy
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Oh what a fabulous sight that Kite is! And what a great landscape…. As to what the bird sees, it’ll be looking for small scurrying creatures, doubt it has much time for the wider landscape!
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Quite so. Nature red in tooth and claw. Although it’s actually a scavenger and doesn’t do much butchery.
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Oh, OK
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Not so common in Nottingham/Derby area but we saw them every day when we spent a week in the Nene Valley, near to Oundle. Magnificent!
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They really are. We’re so lucky . They’ve -almost – reached us now.
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Magnificent birds and magnificent views. We see buzzards, kestrels and sparrowhawks here, but no red kites. Yet.
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Their reach is getting ever wider … here’s hoping.
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We used to see them flying over Ludlow occasionally, there are several feeding stations in Wales.
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I thought you’d be getting visitors from Wales
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I love seeing red kites – they are amazing to watch high up in the sky. Not so amazing when they swoop down in front of your car to pick something up off the road. What a fright I got!
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Gosh, how scary. It’s pheasants round here who have less than no road sense.
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Ah yes, pheasants – silly things!
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At the back the queue when brains were being given out 😉
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😀 😀
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Like Jude, I’m waiting for the kites to reach us. We saw them all the time when we lived in Oxon. They will get to us, I’m sure. They are spreading widely now.
Beautiful shots, Margaret. Both the aerial and the earthbound.
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Thanks. Yes, they are working on taking over the country. Fine by me!
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Wonderful, to imagine what the kite sees. So glad we see more of these majestic birds now. And a lammergeier, bearded vulture but the biggest I think in the Pennines.
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I’m a big vulture fan. The numbers in la Rioja some years ago were so impressive.
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Well I hope she isn’t spotted by a rogue gamekeeper with his shotgun.
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You’re right, they do get shot. Yet they’re scavengers, not predators.
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It really is unbelievable.
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They are really getting around – great after being almost extinct. I was mobbed by around 30 in a Chilterns car park in 2000. They are well established near Newcastle-upon-Tyne (our friends feed them), and around Loch Lomond. We have a growing number here in Essex. They ae the most beautiful birds, with striking wing markings and piercing eyes. To watch them delicately adjusting their deeply forked tails to maintain position in the air is magical. Apologies for going on – I love them.
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So do I. You’re clearly more knowledgeable than me though. Thy’e increasingly something we’re able to observe regularly though as they spread inexorably northwards.
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Good to know red kites are increasing in number. An impressive crag and its amazing how those dry stone walls reach almost everywhere, or so it seems.
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Yorkshire wouldn’t be Yorkshire without its drystone walls!
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Mrgaret21: I don’t think so, but thank you. Can see why your blog is so successful. Google interesting maps of their distribution (some areas in Scotland, as well as their sole location prior to re-introduction, in Wales). Some much more knowledgeable than me say that they don’t necessarily travel very far from where re-introduced, so what seems to us inexorable spread may partly be the effect of new introductions. What is certain is that they are thriving (so we see them) – not least due to road-kill (as you say, they are scavengers, not hunters).
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Actually, the introductions to Harewood some years ago have been interesting, They definitely have slowly increased their territories year on year without further introductions being made – southwards to Leeds, and northwards to Harrogate and beyond. From being rare marvels, they’ve become quite common. But still marvels!
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Your photos are great. Given that the red kite wing markings are so beautiful, do you have one displayin them?
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No chance I’m afraid. I’ve never got anything like near enough.
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Your header shot was close but you needed a powerful uplight!!! Are you allowed to post a link to a website with a good pic without having to seek permission?
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Yes indeed! Well, unless the website says ‘no’!
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Or perhaps this U-tube would be even better? https://www.birdguides.com/gallery/birds/milvus-milvus/429312/
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Perfect! Thanks.
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Oos, that wasn’t Utube! Try this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sB_-cBAUZ8
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Thanks! That’s lovely.
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Try this: feeding in Wales (slow motion). Reminds me of my car park experience in the Chilterns 20 yearsago, and also an eco farm near Loch Lomond 2-3 years back. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtT2zlB-iHc
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Brilliant stuff. Thank you.
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You are too kind. Hope the others get to see it – they may have moved on. Don’t worry re more German stuff – you have done a great job already!
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