CZ550Kevlar Posted February 15, 2012 Report Share Posted February 15, 2012 Last week i was decoying on rape and made the fatal mistake of thinking nothing was around and started looking on my phone, i looked through the netting and spotted a bird walking around my decoy and i`m sure it was having a go at them, i looked at it and it was about a foot tall maybe a bit bigger and was red, i have looked online and i`m sure it was a red kite, i didn`t think they were around down here, also could it have been something else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconFN Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 I'm in East Sussex and I've seen one or two fly over, they may just be passing through and not breeding though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandbank Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 I have seen them around the SE Kent coast. Apparently used to be quite common but have declined in the last 100 years or so. I am told the ones we see come over from France but it is hoped they will soon start breeding again in the UK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tod Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 Quite common now down south, was working at Didcot last year and they are as common as crows, are you sure it wasn't a buzzard, kites are easy recognisable due to their long tails, hence the name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peoown Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 Aye, there's tons of them down south now. I did the famous "look kids, theres a red kite...their dead rare" only to drive another mile and come across a flock of 60 odd....yeah, dead rare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 There are red kites on Romney Marsh and the Downs areas. Add in the Marsh Harriers, Buzzards and the general increase in the hawk varieties, it is becoming a raptors paradise. Earlier this week there were 100 or so Twitchers searching the West Hythe area following an alleged White Tailed Sea Eagle sighting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullet boy Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 We are lucky down here as there's loads about. I saw 3 yesterday.They are probably my favourite British Bird of Prey. I do hope they start to thrive down with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconFN Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 There are red kites on Romney Marsh and the Downs areas. Add in the Marsh Harriers, Buzzards and the general increase in the hawk varieties, it is becoming a raptors paradise. Earlier this week there were 100 or so Twitchers searching the West Hythe area following an alleged White Tailed Sea Eagle sighting. I think most of those raptors are migrants or just passing through, as do ospreys, but there are plenty of buzzards nowadays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 The adults look massive on the ground, we have hundreds near us, literally so seeing them isn't exactly a novelty but I got up close to an when I was out of the bike a few months ago and was still amazed at the size of it :blink: The most noticeable feature is the forked tail, even if you can't get a good look at the colouring or estimate size the silhouette of that is a dead give away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 Quite common now down south, was working at Didcot last year and they are as common as crows, are you sure it wasn't a buzzard, kites are easy recognisable due to their long tails, hence the name. The tail is not significantly longer infact than the Buzzard but its unmistakable characteristic is the fork and its long dihedral wings. Its ability to soar effortlessly for long periods with minimal effort on the wind and updrafts akin to a "Kite" is where it gets its name. There are plenty around Didcot and I saw about 12 soaring over the BMW mini factory at Cowley in Oxford just a week ago. I also saw 2 in Sevenoaks Kent about 8 weeks ago. There have been reports of Kites in most of the Southern Counties in the last 5 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gillaroo Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 We were on a shoot work party in East Sussex last year when one swooped and screached just over my lad's head while he has having a p*** in the woods. Needless to say it went straight down his trouser leg as he jumped with fright! Very funny for the rest of us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 (edited) We were on a shoot work party in East Sussex last year when one swooped and screached just over my lad's head while he has having a p*** in the woods. Needless to say it went straight down his trouser leg as he jumped with fright! Very funny for the rest of us. Did its talons get stuck in his nuts.. Edited February 16, 2012 by Fisherman Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaniel Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 i seen a few on Monday driving up to reading. They are normally around the hungerford area, nice to see Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CZ550Kevlar Posted February 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 i`m glad i`m not going nuts and seeing things, i can`t believe it landed and tried having a go at my decoys, next time i`ll leave a few dead pigeons about as a treat for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxlock Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 hi cz, i see one quite regular on one of my permissions near whitstable gliding through the vally. the first time i saw it, it swooped over a hedge & had a go at the whirly. what area did you see yours?...boxlock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CZ550Kevlar Posted February 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 hi cz, i see one quite regular on one of my permissions near whitstable gliding through the vally. the first time i saw it, it swooped over a hedge & had a go at the whirly. what area did you see yours?...boxlock at a place called Coldred next to the A2 towards Dover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39TDS Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 I have seen a couple on my place (Cheshire) but they are not common here, Buzzards are. I often see them when driving down the M6/M1 on my trips to Essex. I see more there than I do here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontbeck Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 I had one over my house last year. Unmistakeable but a lot bigger than a Buzzard. Was eventually mobbed by Crows. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diceman Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 Driving through Bucks / Oxon area I would be more surprised NOT to see one. There was a big breeding programme (near High Wycombe I think) a few years ago that was massively successful, so I'n not surprised that they are spreading out a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sodit Posted February 18, 2012 Report Share Posted February 18, 2012 Try driving up the M40 my wife counted over 20 of the things very pretty things at that. Sodit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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