a few months ago i was working in harrogate north yorks.
every morning guaranteed & most return evening journeys,
i would see up to 6 red kites in the air near Harewood house ( a bird garden kinda place that apparently released a few)
i even bought a pair of bino's to get a better look ,& stopped at the side of the road on a few occasions just to watch them.
i never got a real good look though , even so , they looked fantastic from a distance.
then yesterday driving along the A64 one decided to appear & swoop down to catch something from the grass verge about 10 feet from my window !
i nearly crashed while trying to get a better look .
it was so graceful & flipping massive too .
i had a kinda daft grin for a bit
i know this probably wont interest you , but i thought it was great

__________________
. .................................................. .....Check out bugnation.co.uk its more than a forum

show me a man who would rather go to work than eat pies
& i will show you a man who has a job as a pie taster

where i go beating near pocklington has a pair of red kites used to love standing between drives watching them glide above us

__________________

Know what you mean,ive got a little bird table attached to my shop(health n hygiene would prob go light if they saw it!)but when noones about and the mother sparrows bring their babies and feed them i grin like a fool they dont mind me watching really close and at the time it feels like its me and the sparrows against the elements,doesnt matter if its persisting down they still come for dinner natures wonderful,youre very lucky to be able to see the kites in action,stunning birds arent they

__________________
Me,Goat and Sid Lola.........


the 3 Rumsketeers

when i moved to the forest of dean from dorset 3 yrs ago always wanted to see red kites and never got around to going to the feeding stations,this year i have seen 2 first was above m5 southbound nr weston supermare junction riding the thermals and second was last week when i went to merther tydfil and it was by the end of the aber bypass roadworks by the treeline.this one was lower down so the colouration could be seen.very graceful like all the birds of prey are .

__________________

You wanna visit down this way!
There are a pair out the front at the moment...

The M40 corridor is a great place for red kite. Driving to Abingdon the other afternoon I saw 26!

__________________
0.2 '05cb Hogg Island Boas, (Boa Constrictor Imperator) 0.0.5 babies
1.1 California Kingsnakes (Lampropeltis getulus californiae) Normal male, Albino female
1.1 Royal Python (Python Regis)
1.1 Nelsons milk snakes (Lampropeltis triangulum nelsoni) Albino male, het albino female, proven pair
0.0.8 normal corn hatchlings (difficult feeders taken on for a friend and getting there!)

i cant believe they are so common in other parts of the country!
i saw a pair in wales years ago , but these recent ones were a release effort, not a natural event.
i was still happy to see em though , especially the close up

__________________
. .................................................. .....Check out bugnation.co.uk its more than a forum

show me a man who would rather go to work than eat pies
& i will show you a man who has a job as a pie taster

I think they are fantastic birds, amazing to watch as they are so aerobatic, I saw loads on a drive to Tamworth and back along the M40 a few weeks back, there are lots around the Henley area too, very distinctive looking birds and hard to miss.

I'm pretty sure I've seen a few out on the Gower in South Wales. I'm pretty sure they were kitesas they had the v-shaped tail. Lovely birds

__________________
Kate

2.2.2 - Eublepharis macularius0.1.0 - Sceloporus malachiticus 1.1.0 - Varanus acanthurus brachyurus0.0.1 - Tiliqua gigas evanescens 0.4.0 - Felis catus 1.0.0 - Fat, old goldfish
Lots of tropical fish...

Once you know the silhouette you can't mistake them for any other bird, there's nothing else like them.