Red Kites

[PEV]

Hi all
Today I was refereeing football up at Ashenden near Ludgershall.
What a magnificent setting high up with views all around, made me feel good to be alive!
Just to make my day a pair of Red Kites arrived and hung (just like the stringed variety) high in the sky! They then decended down into an adjacent sheep pasture, no doubt to snatch a lamb off the hillside
What a wonderful sight to see the two birds slowly flapping their wings to gain height after apparently having no luck finding a late lunch!
Can anyone me some up to date information about how the Kites are doing and how far the have spread?
Cheers
Ray

[Chocky]

Hi pev. Must have been a breathtaking sight
Here is some info. Hope it helps
Red kites, the UKs most beautiful bird of prey, their lifestyle, history, photographs, and the very latest numbers from all around the UK

[helend]

Hi yesteday 3/7/2010, I took my sister to a field where i had rough idea that redkites are either nesting or it is their fav hunting ground, we threw some chicken wings down and as my sister was just about to throw one a red kite swooped down to try and take the meat, it was truly amazing i have never seen any thing so beautiful in all my life it was about 2 foot above her and i was about 4 ft away from it and i could see its beautiful plummage. one of lifes beautiful moments. we then sat and wait for it to come back and about half a hr later 2 turned up chaseing and calling each other, a sight and sound i will never forget. I swear i heard young calling but im not sure to be honest but it was a bird call i had never heard before. both my sister and myself are still buzzing and will def be going back again. opp sorry forgot to mention i ma on the surrey/ berkshire boarder.

[rolf]

Well done Helen, sounds like a great experience, love Red Kites, only rarely see them up close.

[ladylouise62]

That sounds fantastic... I see them overhead everyday but never that close. Wonderful!

[helend]

Hi thanks for your replys, yes it was amazing, one of those experances in life that you never want to forget. We have named him Mr Kite and I have seen him every day this week flying over houses in the village, I have to ring my sister who lives in Sheffeild every day with updates we have kind of " adopted" him lol. My sister is coming down again for a week soon and we are hopeing to catch upwith him again and maybe if it was chicks I could hear they will have fledged by then and we might be lucky and get glimpse of them as well. No doubt we will be loaded down with cameras and lenses again, I, m not very technical minded but if we get a good picture I will try and post it here. plz keep your fingers crossed for us lol Helen

[rolf]

Fingers firmly crossed Helen.