Red Kites

While back on the farm this week, the aged parents pointed out Red Kites nesting in trees by the lambing shed.  Red Kites have gone from being a very rare sight in Mid-Wales to being very common, especially around Rhayader where the artificial feeding of the Kites for the gawking tourist has meant a leap in population of these raptors.


Red Kites are distinctive because of their forked tail and striking colour - predominantly chestnut red with white patches under the wings and a pale grey head.  They have a wingspan of nearly two metres (about five-and-a-half-feet), but a relatively small body weight of 2 - 3 Ibs.  This means the bird is incredibly agile, and can stay in the air for many hours with hardly a beat of its wings.


Father is pleased as these large birds keep the crows at bay, so this means less damage to lambs is done by these opportunistic black birds.  Crows love to find vulnerable lambs and peck out eyes and navels.  Some Ravens are even worse seeming to delight in pecking out lambs tongues. They don't show that on 'Spring Watch'!


I will be keeping an eye on the kites over the next few months and hopefully they will manage to hatch out a chick, certainly they are undisturbed where they are as its well away from any public highway and the birds are left to get on with their own thing.