al4x Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 (edited) Was out walking the dog this morning and had to pass through this little lot passing low over a few dead rabbits, all buzzards all fully grown there were 7 in total and must say it was awesome to see but very intimidating having them swooping low overhead. Must say there was no bird or animal life about at all but can't say I'm surprised with them all in one area. Sorry about the pics the phone was all I had!!! Edited May 6, 2009 by al4x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magman Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 A common site around here to ,10 years ago there wasn't any but seemed to of spread all over the country now . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DustyIrl Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 Very nice to see. Very few birds of prey around me but when i do see one i have to stop and look. Amazing birds to watch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chard Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 At least one of them looks like a Red Kite to me :( Have you got one of them RSPB Kite introduction schemes in your area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 I know they are dodgey pics but some of them look like kites to me, especially the one on the left in picture 2 Buzzards don't have forked tails like that. Better pictures might help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted May 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 we've got a pair of kites as well but they usually stay apart, can't say I noticed a kite amongst them this morning though, but bearing in mind they were at times less than 20 feet overhead I was keeping my head down and the dog close :( I think the kites come from the RSPB site at Sandy which is about 20 miles away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 Although I like to see them, rumour has it we now have over 200 breeding pairs of Red Kites in one long valley, it isn't their fault they are on top of each other it is the fault of people who feed them to keep them around. Their re-introduction scheme can only be regarded as a complete success but that density of population can't be a good thing can it? I was rabbiting with a mate on his land and they have dozens of kites there, each time you line up a shot the field clears as a kite passes over at about 20 feet One was perched in a tree waiting for us to leave our hide to nick the 2 rabbits we had in there, we were no more than 10 yards away when it swooped down in an effort to grab them :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chard Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 (edited) Although I like to see them, rumour has it we now have over 200 breeding pairs of Red Kites in one long valley, it isn't their fault they are on top of each other it is the fault of people who feed them to keep them around. Their re-introduction scheme can only be regarded as a complete success but that density of population can't be a good thing can it? I was rabbiting with a mate on his land and they have dozens of kites there, each time you line up a shot the field clears as a kite passes over at about 20 feet One was perched in a tree waiting for us to leave our hide to nick the 2 rabbits we had in there, we were no more than 10 yards away when it swooped down in an effort to grab them Whilst I am a lover of raptors, I can't see the sense in maintaining a large introduced population by artificial feeding. If they can't fend for themselves and maintain their population naturally, it seems a bit soft to me :( They also seem very sedentary. The introduced populations that I know of are not spreading out naturally, but sticking to the same area. This was the main problem with the relic population of native birds that survived in Mid-Wales prior to the introduction scheme. They survived, and even increased from near-extinction, but hardly expanded their range at all, they just became a denser population in more or less the same valleys. We occasionally see a wanderer or two round here, probably from the introduced birds at Harewood House in Yaaaaaarkshire, but they never seem to pair up and breed in new locations Edited May 6, 2009 by Chard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yanibaby Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 How amazing! I never see anything like that where I live... Love to watch em from my parents back garden in France though, could watch them for hours! Great photos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted May 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 whats amazing is the reaction of other wildlife to them, if they are regular visitors and about all day the pigeons never sit still for long, rabbits aren't seen during the day and as for trying to rear pheasants and partridges you will struggle. I like to see a pair its lovely but like everything they have no natural predators so will just continue to breed this mornings 7 was over the top, ok its not an everyday sight but is happening more and more. I don't know what the answer is as you'd soon loose them if you let people control them so i guess you hope food is the limiting factor. Its one reason we leave a lot of shot rabbits about during the pheasant season as it gives them something to eat without having to work for it. Though buzzards aren't meant to hunt properly I've seen one sitting on a feeder and drop off onto an approaching pheasant and I'm sure that wasn't a one off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chard Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 I think you've got more Kites round your way than you think Apparently the introduced population in the Chilterns is over 130 pairs now :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 I didn't want to be the one to say it, but I reckon they are all red kites Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chard Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 I didn't want to be the one to say it, but I reckon they are all red kites So do I :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted May 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 I'll have to see if they're about in the morning for better pictures but the tails were not forked, we do have kites and the difference is pretty clear as well as them being bigger these weren't coloured enough. One odd thing was a few had quite a few primary feathers missing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 Better pictures will help, but let's not have a repeat of this classic thread: http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/ind...uzzard&st=0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenhunter Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 Better pictures will help, but let's not have a repeat of this classic thread: http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/ind...uzzard&st=0 3/1 on Red kite! :( Sorry, I'll get my coat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobbit Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 They are almost certainly red kites. You don't need to worry about your dogs they can get curious but I have never heard of them attacking one. I fly hawks myself and the kites will sometimes come over to have a look, they are lazy, primarily carrion eaters. Loads around here often see 20 plus hanging on the thermals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted May 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 do kites come with varying degrees of pointyness to their tails? as the ones I know are kites have a very pronounced V whereas with these it wasn't pronounced and a very gently slight inversion to their tails. They were feeding on carion as there were a number of dead rabbits about but I'm sure they looked different to the other pair we have Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chard Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 do kites come with varying degrees of pointyness to their tails? as the ones I know are kites have a very pronounced V whereas with these it wasn't pronounced and a very gently slight inversion to their tails. They were feeding on carion as there were a number of dead rabbits about but I'm sure they looked different to the other pair we have When perched the V is very pronounced. When they're gliding fast, it's fairly pronounced. When they're soaring slowly on thermals it can be completely absent. But you never get the rounded fan shape, as in Buzzards. When the V is completely absent, the trailing edge is just flat, squared off and the corners of the tail are sharp points, making the tail a sort of triangle, whereas a soaring Buzzard will show a rounded fan shaped tail, with the corners not noticeably pointed. Gliding or perched Buzzards just show a straight tail, with no noticeable V or fan. Colours of Red Kites can be very variable and not very noticeable in poor light. We expect to see Red Kites being ....er.. red, and in good light they are rich chestnut with black on the top of the wings, grey on the head, with vague white markings on the top of the wings. In poor light, or at a great height, they can just look black or dark brown. :( I'm certain now that those are all Red Kites, I hadn't realised that Hitchin was anywhere near the Chilterns, and there's a hell of a lot of kites in the Chilterns now, though most in Bucks, I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George1990 Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 Definatley not Buzzards anyhoo. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted May 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 When perched the V is very pronounced. When they're gliding fast, it's fairly pronounced. When they're soaring slowly on thermals it can be completely absent. But you never get the rounded fan shape, as in Buzzards. When the V is completely absent, the trailing edge is just flat, squared off and the corners of the tail are sharp points, making the tail a sort of triangle, whereas a soaring Buzzard will show a rounded fan shaped tail, with the corners not noticeably pointed. Gliding or perched Buzzards just show a straight tail, with no noticeable V or fan. Colours of Red Kites can be very variable and not very noticeable in poor light. We expect to see Red Kites being ....er.. red, and in good light they are rich chestnut with black on the top of the wings, grey on the head, with vague white markings on the top of the wings. In poor light, or at a great height, they can just look black or dark brown. :( I'm certain now that those are all Red Kites, I hadn't realised that Hitchin was anywhere near the Chilterns, and there's a hell of a lot of kites in the Chilterns now, though most in Bucks, I believe. thats the odd bit these didn't have the points just if anything a slight indent, despite the photos it was pretty light and the colours were far more brown almost woodcock colour with white on the underside of the wings. We're a fair way off the chilterns but do usually have a couple of kites and they are recogniseable by the size which seems to be bigger and the v tail. Some definitley looked the worse for wear but I'll have a proper camera with me tomorrow and see if any better shots are possible. one things for sure they weren't high and below tree level so hopefully I'll be able to get to the bottom of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chard Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 (edited) My lad took this photo in Wales. This was a kite, often looked brown or black, though in this shot you can see a bit of something about the tail. Edited May 6, 2009 by Chard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 That's cos it's a Buzzard :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chard Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 That's cos it's a Buzzard :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 THIS on the other hand is a .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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