I’m keeping a note of whether I see Red Kites on each day through the year – the July tally was a rather low 15 days out of 31 .
January: 22 days out of 31.
February: 24 days out of 28.
March: 26 days out of 31.
April: 20 days out of 30.
May: 7 days out of 31
June: 0 days out of 30 there are no Red Kites in North America!
That makes 114 out of 212 overall.
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Here in the upper Thames valley they are pretty much daily and always an absolute delight
There are more kites around now than at any other time of year as this year’s young are now flying. Yet it’s often a quiet time for seeing kites. This is partly down to the advanced moult of the adults. They tend to spend less time in the air when they have gaps in the wings and tail. And the young don’t spend too much time in flight when they are inexperienced and not long out of the nest. August might also be a low count but September should be back to normal.
Ian – yes. I saw a moulting adult this afternoon.
Hi Mark
I’m glad to say that this year a pair have nested at Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows for the first time.
Chris – hooray!
Have you heard about the red kite that on Monday was found shot but alive near Corby in the area of Deene Park and Finshade. A little birdie told me that there is a shooting estate around there.
Owen – no, I’d missed that. Thanks.
On the 8th July on that slow bit of the M25 where you crawl just before Heathrow we saw what we took at first glance to be a flock of seagulls rising high into the sky. On closer inspection each one turned out to be a Red kite, there were probably 50. Bit of an experience. Especially when at home seeing one a year is a thing to be commented on.
Andrew – wonderful!
Tell me, for future reference, which are the quick bits of the M25?
I didn’t see any kites in July. Maybe I should try the Angus Glens? Did better with other raptor species, BZ 30 out of 31, EA 10, HH 15, SP 8, GI 3, K 14, PE 7, ML 5, OP 15, but that will only be a fraction of what the grouse moor gamekeepers in the Angus Glens apparently see!
So far this year, red kites seen in 4 of the 7 months.