Kites over Caversham, missing.

[m1.carson]

Hi,

Been speaking to 4 or 5 people who notice the red kites and no-one has seen one for approximately 3 weeks, there's usually somewhere between one and three soaring around every day, we don't see that many as we're only a mile from the town centre, but none at all, that's very unusual.

Max.
P.S. I tried to blame it on the row from the pop festival but was only joking .

[paulchandler6]

Hi, Have noticed same here. This is usual as have noted this in the past few years.
I think it's down to post breeding dispersal and/or feeding being more widely available. i.e. have seen kites following the plough, have seen them taking worms and esp prey killed by combines. Theres a lot of road kills around at the moment as well and have seen them on the local roads. Cheers

[agrumpycow]

There were three kites over the Thames between Caversham and Purley on Tuesday. I've seen quite a few in the last few days all over Reading, Pangbourne and Tilehurst.

I know what you mean about the festival, it was loud enough at times to make me want to do a runner! I watched the campsites filling up from my window and wondered where all the wildlife was going to go, they'd even turned a field the other side of the river just this side of Mapledurham into a car park for the first time this year!

[mrs fish]

I expect they are moulting, birds will disappear to moult , they will be back

[m1.carson]

Hi,

Thanks to all of you for the hopefull replies, I feel much happier now it's a yearly thing, I/we were thinking of all the bad things like poisoning or thrich.

It's nice to have good news,

Max.

[bleeper]

I live in Maidenhead and go to Cookham on a daily basis to walk the dogs and usually see 3 or 4 kites on my walk. Like many others I have noticed a lack of them recently. I mentioned this to my uncle (who normally has them coming INTO his garden to feed - daily!!) and he said the same. Sorry rambling a bit ...... anyway having spoken to a few other people one suggested that this time of year they spend more time feeding in the fields following harvesting, made sense to me, and as already mentioned the moulting could be another reason. If they have not returned within the next two or three weeks I'll start to worry.