| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Cathryn |
Red KitesWe just met two men with broad irish accents climbing over one of the farm gates festooned with climbing gear. They were here to collect one of two kite chicks from a nest in one of the trees. All perfectly legit. They take them over to Ireland in order to add to the breeding programme over there. He showed us the chick. Apparently much smaller than the other one in the nest so in faint danger of being eaten by it's sibling anyway. It looked healthy aside from that and did a good playing dead routine.
I regulary see kites over all parts of Aberystwyth nowadays and every day on the fields here. They have all gone now to climb the cliff and check out one of the chough nests. 
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| vegplot |
I saw about a dozen red kites near Lampeter last year, swirling around each other only a few yards from the road and about telegraph pole height. Fantastic sight. | ||
| bagpuss |
Apparently they used to be as common as pigeons back a long time ago | ||
| Cathryn |
Ooops, this is supposed to be kept quiet. So shhhhhhhh. 
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| wellington womble |
Common as muck round here. It's a rare day I don't see one if I'm out when it's light. Lovely things to watch. | ||
| Behemoth |
The Welsh Kites were used as stock for my work's and Lord Harewood's programme to reintroduce them here. You can now see them over North Leeds, Wharfedale and the Vale of York. Splendid things. | ||
| dpack |
they cruise the colne and holme valleys from the leeds posse
well done |
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| robkb |
My in-laws live a few miles from the Chilterns and red kites regularly soar over their house. Not many things stop me dead in my tracks, but they do.
Cheers, Rob. |
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| Jonnyboy |
A pair were released about half a mile from my house. | ||
| Mary-Jane |
You make them sound like ex-crims... |
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| woodsprite |
Common here too along with buzzards and kestrels. I even see a merlin quite often. Lovely to watch. | ||
| Cathryn |
I wonder if they were from here.
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| gz |
This is a webcam from Philadelphia- red tailed hawks nest
www.ustream.tv/channel/Franklin-Institute-Hawk-Nest Their red kite equivalent 
(posted on Clayart forum) |
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| Shane |
They've made it down the M40 as far as Maidenhead now - there's always a few circling over the north end of town, and we sometimes get them soaring over the garden. | ||
| jamsam |
they will happily take mice out of the garden a few feet from the kids here. ive got one who likes to sit on the garage roof and screech at the cats!
we're at the point of over population around abouts the brecon beacons so there is talk of removing chicks here too! |
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| Nick |
Birds of prey have been a great success story in our attempts to restore populations, and it's great to see them about.
Now, where did all our songbirds go? |
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| Cathryn |
Nah, not kites, cats, sound similar but not at all alike.
Where've they gone then? Why are cuckoos on the red list. Wonder what I should be doing to alter that. RSPB site. |
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| Nick |
Actually, it's not birds of prey, no.
Changes in agriculture, more toxic chemicals in the world, less trees and hedges, more cats. Various things. |
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| Shane |
People sterilising their gardens isn't helping, either.
Watched a carrion crow stealing chicks from a nest the other day - although they were baby magpies, so one scavenger stealing from another didn't upset me too much! |
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| Cathryn |
Cuckoos like hairy caterpillars. I wonder if they are the ones that also seem to love ragwort. They are quite good at removing ragwort around here. Too random I guess and cuckoos have never been plentiful in this area in any case.
Sterilising gardens. I cannot do the bird count this week as I am not sure which part counts as garden and which part counts as field.
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