Raptors

Mon 11 Jan 2021, 22:28

The Red Kites have been circling in The Slade area for at least five years.  Often solitary.

Mon 11 Jan 2021, 19:06

I spotted a big red kite today, very low over The Slade, near Hill Close. We have plenty around in the countryside (I've seen lots around Ditchley, especially), but I don't recall seeing one so low over the town. Perhaps food's becoming harder to find in the country at this time of year. Lovely to watch, provided you're not a small mammal. He decided I was too big and gristly, I think...

Mon 11 Jan 2021, 10:53

We had lots of red kites around us in the South of the county. They have  a bit of a sinister feeling; they continually hover and circle as they take carrion...particularly road-kill... They can congregate in quite large numbers together which is a bit spooky!

Sun 10 Jan 2021, 19:21

There are certainly still lots of Red Kites around, the ones with the forked tails, and away from houses there seem to be more buzzards than I remember seeing in the past.

We have in the past also had a sparrow hawk grab a smaller bird (finch of some sort) from our seed feeders, take it onto the ground and then "stamp" it and eventually fly away with it but that was a long time ago so probably not relevant to what you're asking about.

Sun 10 Jan 2021, 17:47

I'll start worrying when I see vultures

Sun 10 Jan 2021, 17:25

Am I the only person to notice lots of hawks etc this year?