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Red kites (1 Viewer)

D

Dally

Well-known member
I went up the M40 on Sunday for the first time in a while. Going up from the M25 and then coming off at junction 6 and going across to Didcot, I saw about 30 red kites. I was amazed at just how many have now established themselves.

Anyway we noticed, as I have before at my sisters house in Oxon, that they seem to congregate and hunt / scavenge in groups of about 4-6. Is this widely a widely accepted phenomenon and are they family groups? Seems to me that most other birds of prey are solitary / paired?
 
Last edited:
Dally said:
I went up the M40 on Sunday for the first time in a while. Going up from the M25 and then coming off at junction 6 and going across to Didcot, I saw about 30 red kites. I was amazed at just how many have now established themselves.

Anyway we noticed, as I have before at my sisters house in Oxon, that they seem to congregate and hunt / scavenge in groups of about 4-6. Is this widely a widely accepted phenomenon and are they family groups? Seems to me that most other birds of prey are solitary / paired?
Click to expand...


Yes its normal practise. There is a guy in Watlington and another in Stokenchurch who feeds them. When there is easy food about I've seen flocks of 50 and more. And as anyone will tell you who's been to Gigrin , flocks of a couple of 100 birds can be had . When that happens its just mind blowing to watch.
 
Do you think they'll get persecuted soon? They go round the villages scavenging from dustbins, etc.

If you go to Tanzania the black - kites swoop down and steal you food from you as you're putting it your mouth! Quite scary. Do you think red kites will start doing this when they get re-established in towns and cities, which can't be far off now?
 
Dally said:
Do you think they'll get persecuted soon? They go round the villages scavenging from dustbins, etc.

If you go to Tanzania the black - kites swoop down and steal you food from you as you're putting it your mouth! Quite scary. Do you think red kites will start doing this when they get re-established in towns and cities, which can't be far off now?
Click to expand...

There will certainly be a backlash if that were to happen, just the way people are, but I don't think they will be persecuted as its taken a lot of time and effort to bring them back. I also can't see them ever really doing well in big cities like London. There just isn't any suitable nesting sites, on the fringes around the M25 would be no problem and thats almost happening now if it hasn't already.
 
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