AlanHo Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 We are members of the National Trust and we travel around the country on short 2 or 3 day trips to visit NT properties.We were away for a couple of days this week, staying in Chinnor near Princes Risborough in order to visit Waddeston Manor and Hughendon Manor - both of which were fascinating.For me - this pleasure was eclipsed by seeing, at close quarters, three red kites - a bird species I had never seen before. They are truly magnificent birds of prey which we don't seem to have in the Midlands. I am aware that they were virtually extinct in England by the turn of the 20th century and that in 1991 there were only 2 breeding pairs in England, since then, chicks have been brought here from mainland Europe, reared and released into the wild and there are now several areas in England and Wales where they are thriving again.Typical of me - I had left my camera in the car on the day we saw them and I missed a golden opportunity of getting some photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rong Posted April 28, 2011 Report Share Posted April 28, 2011 They are around us nearly every day, sometimes just over house hight (I live in the Midlands as well I think) we also have several Buzzards that hunt on a regular basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belatucadrus Posted April 29, 2011 Report Share Posted April 29, 2011 I've seen them at feeding stations in Wales but they don't seem to have reached us yet. Fortunately for us the Buzzards turned up a few years ago and have thrived. I've even seen them circling over local towns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted April 29, 2011 Report Share Posted April 29, 2011 I remember seeing them in Wales in the early 1970's when there was one breeding pair. They were out exercising their new offspring.They are magnificent birds and it is good that they have been saved from probable extinction by an ill-informed rural community in the '60's and before.I have since seen red kites - quite a number of them in Kent when I lived there and even working kites at Chilham castle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted April 29, 2011 Report Share Posted April 29, 2011 This place is well worth a visit. There are dozens of kites and Buzzards there.http://www.gigrin.co.uk/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.