I’m keeping a note of whether I see Red Kites on each day through the year – the November tally was 18 days out of 30.
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!)
July: 14 days out of 31
August: 16 days out of 31
September: 12 days out of 30
October: 24 days out of 31
That makes 183 out of 334 overall.
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How times change. When I lived in Northants ( up to 1981) my raptor tally was :- Kestrel regular, Hobby 2, Hen Harrier 1 ( a local twitch to Cransley Reservoir) plus an unidentifiable accipiter which I now think may have been a falconers Goshawk. No Sparrowhawk, Buzzard or any others.
I think this might be a great thing to do here next year. However it might be better to record “bird days” to give a true picture of the pattern throughout the year. Perhaps I should do it for all the predatory regulars here, in order of frequency Buzzard, Raven, Goshawk, Sparrowhawk and Peregrine, Kestrel is very infrequent, less than once a month.
I still find it astonishing considering how rare Red Kites have been for much of my life that we see them so frequently even here in Mid Wales. It is without doubt a huge conservation success story. This despite the nay sayers, from the farming and game management fraternity when I lived in North Yorkshire. They are dreadful disturbers of grouse shoots apparently, are entirely responsible for the declines of Lapwings and other waders by taking all the chicks and they and Buzzards are responsible for huge songbird declines. You would think that country folk might know better but of course the farmers are scapegoating Kites and Buzzards rather than their own activities, whilst the shooting cabal are justifying their or their colleagues persecution.
“It is without doubt a huge conservation success story. ”
And one that seems to have captured the public imagination. Lots of non-birding people are thrilled by regular views of red kites now in various parts of the country.
Feel that I have to tell of seeing 2 in Glen Clova (one of The Angus Glens) today.
Wonderful, and to me, a little surprising.
Indeed they are always wonderful, however like birds everywhere there is grouse shooting they may unfortunately not live very long. Let’s hope they do.
A real conservation success. I am one of those old enough to remember having to go to Cors Tregaron, in the middle of winter, for the only chance to be able to catch a distant glimpse of 1 or 2 birds coming into roost.
Chris – me too!
I did manage to connect with one in November. Didn’t do much better with Kestrel either. Others in decreasing order, BZ 29 out of 30, EA & HH 14, SH 6, WE 4, K & PE 3, GI 1.