Hiya,
I'm a bit late with this thread as we've been back off holiday for a week but here goes. My partner and I decided on a very sudden camping holiday (with a days notice) and have always wanted to watch the Kites at Gigrin Farm, having only seen the Rockingham birds from a distance. We arrived at the farm about 2.00pm for the 3.00pm feeding and a good job we did as the hides filled up quickly. The farmer fed the birds with Jackdaws, Rooks, Carrion Crows (including a couple of hoodeds to boot) and Ravens in first. A few Kites flew in, grabbed the meat on the wing and flew off. The best bit came later, about a hour after the feeding, most of the crowds had gone, the skies filled with about 50 kites and the buzzards also then came in. Fantastic sight.
Other highlights of the holiday were; at the campsite in Rhayader we had, as well as the regular garden birds, many nuthatch, tawney owls and a single wood warbler; in a ploughed field near Devils Bridge, we had 8 buzzards on the ground and best of all, on a ridge above Claerwen Dam, we had a buzzard and goshawk working the wind, a pergrine tried to muscle in and was chased of by the goshawk who then resumed waiting on. On the trip back to Rhayader, we had a redstart in a layby, whilst admiring the scenery.
Best wishes,
Steve
I'm a bit late with this thread as we've been back off holiday for a week but here goes. My partner and I decided on a very sudden camping holiday (with a days notice) and have always wanted to watch the Kites at Gigrin Farm, having only seen the Rockingham birds from a distance. We arrived at the farm about 2.00pm for the 3.00pm feeding and a good job we did as the hides filled up quickly. The farmer fed the birds with Jackdaws, Rooks, Carrion Crows (including a couple of hoodeds to boot) and Ravens in first. A few Kites flew in, grabbed the meat on the wing and flew off. The best bit came later, about a hour after the feeding, most of the crowds had gone, the skies filled with about 50 kites and the buzzards also then came in. Fantastic sight.
Other highlights of the holiday were; at the campsite in Rhayader we had, as well as the regular garden birds, many nuthatch, tawney owls and a single wood warbler; in a ploughed field near Devils Bridge, we had 8 buzzards on the ground and best of all, on a ridge above Claerwen Dam, we had a buzzard and goshawk working the wind, a pergrine tried to muscle in and was chased of by the goshawk who then resumed waiting on. On the trip back to Rhayader, we had a redstart in a layby, whilst admiring the scenery.
Best wishes,
Steve