Not long ago I was travelling down the motorway towards the Northampton area.Along the side of the road there were farmers fields with gulls and crows looking like they were scavenging for food. Amongst them were 4 or 5 huge birds of prey. I instantly noticed their forked tails which led me to think of red kites but I only got a brief look. They were definately not a bird i've seen before. Is it likely that I sighted more than one of these birds in such an area(on the edge of a motorway) or have I mistaken them for something else?
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were they red kites? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter cilla
- Start date
White*Kite
Forever delayed
Sounds very much like Kites, yes. They're the best birds in the world! =D
Saphire
Christine
I posed the question yesterday which hasn't been answered, rather then look a fool for wrong ID. But I could have sworn there was a Red Kite flying above the A500 which is between Staffordshire & Cheshire is this possible. The reason I think it was a Red Kite is because of the forked tail.
White*Kite
Forever delayed
Christine, I think it could be possible, as Kites are spreading far and wide these days. There is no other British raptor with a forked tail, and they're very large birds - especially in flight with that huge wingspan. The native Welsh birds could easily get as far as Staffordshire.
scottishdude
Leave the world slightly better than you found it,
Saphire
Christine
Its was only a brief encounter I had, traveling at 70 with my husband driving, it went overhead so quick. It was directly above the two carriage ways following the road. It was the tail that caught my eye it was only about 40ft in the air not high at all. I see buzzards frequently flying over the fields opposite my home so I watch them constantly, other then the tail it just looked different.
scottishdude
Leave the world slightly better than you found it,
I have seen them as far up as Peterborough and 1 was spotted last week in Nottingham so it could be that's what they were
Nightranger
Senior Moment
Hi Cilla,
We have taken a few calls reporting kites in Northamptonshire over the least few weeks and a couple of unconfirmed reports for Northill and Cockayne Hatley near but not at The Lodge.
Ian
We have taken a few calls reporting kites in Northamptonshire over the least few weeks and a couple of unconfirmed reports for Northill and Cockayne Hatley near but not at The Lodge.
Ian
Paul_Gower
Well-known member
Its great isn't it - they seem to be everywhere these days. I saw one from the train just outside Reading a couple of weeks back but haven't seen any on the motorway yet. I am told they used to be common on rubbish tips in central London, and they are regularly seen flying over various parts of London - see "Latest Bird News in London" for reports. How long before they join the herring gulls cleaning up the discarded take-aways?
Best,
Paul
Best,
Paul
Paul_Gower
Well-known member
helenol said:
Well, Boo for the yob, but hooray for the kite, always assuming chips aren't bad for kites... but if they frequent rubbish tips I guess they must be pretty omnivorous and have what my mum used to call "a cast iron constitution"!
I had my first motorway kite tick today, about 5 or 6 miles east of J13 Chievely services, on the M4 not far from Reading. The road goes through a wooded area and the kite flew right over the motorway, struggling a bit with the wind. Fantastic sight. Years ago I used to get excited about kestrels on motorways, but kites are even nicer!
Paul
Hi Paul, the problem is, during the breeding season. A few chicks have had to be euthanased because of a calcium deficiency disease, due to a poor diet of cooked chicken wings, Sundays lunch, sausages and hamburgers. These birds need to eat the skin/fur/feathers etc to obtain optimum health. We always suggest that if one feeds the kites, they throw out defrosted mice and the odd day old chick etc for them. Yes, there are more and more reports of them visiting rubbish tips now. Don't forget though, a hundred years ago, people weren't living on such a processed diet that we live on now.Paul_Gower said:
Congrats on your motorway tick, btw. You will no doubt see more and more of them, as they are spreading out from the Chilterns now.
salty
geordie birder
helen - the gateshead kites favourite site was the local tip! - close by to the roost site, but the nearby farms were also feeding the birds so they shouldnt be too affected. they should be paring up this year and hopefully grown up enough to breed next year, fingers crossed.
the local tip has now been 'capped' so the gateshead birds should be healthy birds with any luck.
the local tip has now been 'capped' so the gateshead birds should be healthy birds with any luck.
