# Red kite!



## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

I have seen one here in Norfolk, about 3 miles from my house, I didn't realise they'd spread this far east


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## NoSpecialFeaturesHere (Nov 23, 2008)

Ooh, you lucky thing. They're beautifuls.


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## Cleo38 (Jan 22, 2010)

simplysardonic said:


> I have seen one here in Norfolk, about 3 miles from my house, I didn't realise they'd spread this far east


I saw my first one in this area yesterday - it was circling above us as we walked the dogs! It was beautiful


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## NoSpecialFeaturesHere (Nov 23, 2008)

You guys'll have to get your zoomy cameras out for your next outing! ...Actually, on second thought maybe don't. If you have a camera at the ready you'll probably not see one again. Sod's law.


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## harrys_mum (Aug 18, 2010)

we have red kites around our area, spotted more about lately too.
we go to barton springs, and see them up there. hubby tries to take pics of them but they fly so fast its very hard to take any good shots of them.
michelle x


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

NoSpecialFeaturesHere said:


> You guys'll have to get your zoomy cameras out for your next outing! ...Actually, on second thought maybe don't. If you have a camera at the ready you'll probably not see one again. Sod's law.


Its always the way there's so much beautiful wildlife here but it always hides away when I've got the camera out


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## Cleo38 (Jan 22, 2010)

simplysardonic said:


> Its always the way there's so much beautiful wildlife here but it always hides away when I've got the camera out


TBH my pics are so bad that it doesn't matter how close or still the animal or bird is 

I had a magpie on my lap (found an injured one last year) & I still couldn't get a decent pic of him - just a black & white blur.


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## kaz_f (Mar 8, 2009)

simplysardonic said:


> I have seen one here in Norfolk, about 3 miles from my house, I didn't realise they'd spread this far east


That's great! They are lovely to watch aren't they? Mid Wales used to be their heartland at one time it's good to hear they have spread right over to Norfolk  We have them here but I never realised what big groups they hunt in until I saw a group of about 8 hunting together in the SE one time. I was really shocked that they seem to be very sociable. I never see that many together here.


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

kaz_f said:


> That's great! They are lovely to watch aren't they? Mid Wales used to be their heartland at one time it's good to hear they have spread right over to Norfolk  We have them here but I never realised what big groups they hunt in until I saw a group of about 8 hunting together in the SE one time. I was really shocked that they seem to be very sociable. I never see that many together here.


yes they're absolutely wonderful, my friend lives in the Chilterns & theres always loads circling in the air & they come down really close too


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## Guest (Jun 13, 2011)

Is it just one?
We had one around here a few years ago, but haven't seen any since


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

rona said:


> Is it just one?
> We had one around here a few years ago, but haven't seen any since


yes, it was circling amongst lots of crows, it caught my eye as I did a double take after I thought 'thats a big crow!'


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## kaz_f (Mar 8, 2009)

simplysardonic said:


> yes they're absolutely wonderful, my friend lives in the Chilterns & theres always loads circling in the air & they come down really close too


Yes that's where I saw them actually, near Missenden


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## *Amber* (Oct 22, 2010)

I've seen a Red Kite twice in my village. I am in Suffolk, but close to Diss. I managed to get a couple of really naff photos a couple of months back on my phone! The little dot under the Kite on the 2nd pic was a Rook!


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## jenny22 (Feb 13, 2011)

send you a few from oxfordshire, theyre beginning to be real nuisance, particularly around heathrow I think, or some airport near here, there are so many of them, they are beautiful one landed on our bird table just outside the l. room window last year in the snow, frightened the life out of us, wondered what this great flying thing was .

jenn


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## *Amber* (Oct 22, 2010)

Did one really land on your bird table???!!!  The only bird of prey I've seen near my bird table is Sparrowhawk chasing the birdies!!! Easy meals in my garden!!! :cursing:


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## Devil-Dogz (Oct 4, 2009)

jenny22 said:


> send you a few from oxfordshire, theyre beginning to be real nuisance,


a nuisance, never their fab animals, amazing to watch and so interesting to learn about 

Theres said to be around 300 breeding pairs in the chilterns area alone (hence there being a large number around oxford), down to the English Nature and RSPB, who relased a number of imported kites into the area. Infact they now take chicks from the chilterns and aim to re-introduce them into other parts of the country. Success stories, if ever I heard one :smilewinkgrin:


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## jenny22 (Feb 13, 2011)

yes it did land on our bird table, they are always around the garden, good thing about them is they only eat carrion, never catch anything themselves, and yes dd they can be a nuisance, they are beautiful but like a lot of things they are really getting out of hand in this area as said they cause problems at an airport, here, cant remember which one

jenn


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

jenny22 said:


> send you a few from oxfordshire, theyre beginning to be real nuisance, particularly around heathrow I think, or some airport near here, there are so many of them, they are beautiful one landed on our bird table just outside the l. room window last year in the snow, frightened the life out of us, wondered what this great flying thing was .
> 
> jenn


We'd happily have them, there's a lot of carrion for them to eat here, so many animals have been killed on our local roads this year, not sure if it means that there are more animals in general or if their habitats are being encroached on so much that they have no choice but come into contact with busy roads:crying:
Either way a tragedy


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## *Amber* (Oct 22, 2010)

Well I would love to see more Kites! They are beautiful! The big female Sparrowhawk round here gets a bit annoying eating my little wild birds I feed, and trying to get into my aviary, but I know they have babies to feed and have to feed themselves, so I forgive them!


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

*Amber* said:


> Well I would love to see more Kites! They are beautiful! The big female Sparrowhawk round here gets a bit annoying eating my little wild birds I feed, and trying to get into my aviary, but I know they have babies to feed and have to feed themselves, so I forgive them!


My nan had a sparrowhawk try & get at her aviary birds too!
We have quite a few birds of prey round here & often see them when out with the dogs, we've even had an unidentified species catch & kill a pigeon & eat it in our garden


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## *Amber* (Oct 22, 2010)

Ooo was it a female Sparrowhawk? They eat Collard Doves in our garden. Otherwise Goshawks kill bigger birds, but they're big! Never seen a Goshawk round here, they're rare!


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## Devil-Dogz (Oct 4, 2009)

*Amber* said:


> Otherwise Goshawks kill bigger birds, but they're big! Never seen a Goshawk round here, they're rare!


Oh I love Goshawks, Their alomost buzzard size but I have never had the pleasure of seeing one in the flesh.


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

*Amber* said:


> Ooo was it a female Sparrowhawk? They eat Collard Doves in our garden. Otherwise Goshawks kill bigger birds, but they're big! Never seen a Goshawk round here, they're rare!


I wish I knew all I remember (it was a couple of years ago now) was that it was big, about twice the size of a kestrel at least, & was mostly a similar grey to the wood pigeon it was eating. I thought it WAS a pigeon to start with as it was in the long grass, but then it started plucking feathers & I though that wasn't really pigeon behaviour!


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## *Amber* (Oct 22, 2010)

Wow, it sounds like it could have been a male Hen Harrier, but they are rare!!!


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

I don't think we'll ever know but I think it was most likely to be a sparrowhawk due to their widespread range, I'm not too good with birds of prey IDing


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## *Amber* (Oct 22, 2010)

Well male Hen Harriers are grey like a Pigeon, and would certainly eat a Pigeon. A male Sparrowhawk has some grey, but they wouldn't be able to kill a Pigeon, as they're a lot smaller than the female Sparrowhawk. A female Sparrowhawk could kill a Pigeon as they're bigger than the males, but they are brown not grey.


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

*Amber* said:


> Well male Hen Harriers are grey like a Pigeon, and would certainly eat a Pigeon. A male Sparrowhawk has some grey, but they wouldn't be able to kill a Pigeon, as they're a lot smaller than the female Sparrowhawk. A female Sparrowhawk could kill a Pigeon as they're bigger than the males, but they are brown not grey.


Hmmm looking at the pictures it could well have been a hen harrier, it was in early summer though & apparently they're winter visitors but I'm guessing there's no set rules on their range


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