I'll return to Cornwall in a few posts time. Now for some more wildlife.

Red Kites

One of my favourite birds in the Red Kite. It's not so long ago that these birds were extremely rare. Now it is not uncommon to see three of four birds flying over the fields near where I live, with up to seven seen at any one time. Getting anywhere near them, on the other hand, is a different matter.

During a family walk in the snow in February this year, I noticed that one of two of the Kites would fly up and down the railway line that runs near my home. I suspected that they were hunting for food - maybe this was a regular thing? The weather was gloomy, and we were busy sledging with the kids, but I vowed to return to investigate. A few days later, the snow almost completely disappeared and my attention returned to other things.

Then towards the end of February we had another sharp fall of snow. I woke up one Saturday morning to find several inches on the ground and a beautiful clear blue sky. I persuaded my wide for a pass out and made my way to where I had seen the birds. I couldn't believe my luck. They were still there. I found a great vantage point that concealed me from the birds but that meant that from time to time they came close by over head. The lying snow really helped, providing near perfect lighting conditions, as the undersides of the birds were really well lit, with the birds set against a bright blue sky. On one or two occasions my excitement got the better of me, and the cold made taking photos very difficult indeed. But I finally managed a couple of shots of these magnificent birds - not 10 minutes walk from where I live!

Red Kite in Flight Red Kite in Flight Red Kite in Flight Red Kite in Flight

And my favourite shot

Red Kite in Flight

For more images of these Kites please go to the Owls & Raptors gallery here