Kite or Buzzards

[wildherbalian85]

Saw a group of very large Birds of prey today adults and young. Wind span of adults approx 1.5 meters. They were spotted about 6 miles northwest outside of Basingstoke.

Unsure as to whether they were kites or buzzards. I noticed some black markings on the under wings of one that flew past at quite low heights. The feathers on the birds appeared to be brick-red.

All day the Hare's and Rabbits had been running from me but when these birds were around they ran from them and towards me.. also the crows didn't stick around.

Unlike the kestrels these birds were very quiet.

[deer boy]

Originally Posted by wildherbalian85

Unsure as to whether they were kites or buzzards. I noticed some black markings on the under wings of one that flew past at quite low heights. The feathers on the birds appeared to be brick-red.

From this i would say red kites

[wildherbalian85]

Originally Posted by deer boy

From this i would say red kites

The size of them (adults) was impressive.

There was 5 or 6 maybe more - i might of double counted or missed out.

[Oscar the Grouch]

Red kites are certainly drifting south from the High Wycombe area (where if you travel on the M40 and DON'T see at least one kite, I'd be amazed).

We've seen a couple over our garden recently (NW Surrey/NE Hampshire border) and I've seen a few on the A34 near Newbury, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if they were turning up over Basingstoke. There is a lot of good, suitable countryside in the area and I wouldn't be at all surprised if kites quickly became a common sight in the region.

[ChrisJB]

The brick-red you talk of suggests red kites.

Regards, Chris

[wildherbalian85]

Originally Posted by Oscar the Grouch

Red kites are certainly drifting south from the High Wycombe area (where if you travel on the M40 and DON'T see at least one kite, I'd be amazed).

We've seen a couple over our garden recently (NW Surrey/NE Hampshire border) and I've seen a few on the A34 near Newbury, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if they were turning up over Basingstoke. There is a lot of good, suitable countryside in the area and I wouldn't be at all surprised if kites quickly became a common sight in the region.

Yeah they were on a field next to the A339 not far from Upper Wooten.

They were flying over a grassy area on a hill but were coming out from a small wooded area on the otherside of the field - though occasionally one would land very briefly on the grass but these were the younger (smaller) one's doing this.

[Helo]

Hello

It is possible you saw red kites. They are dispersing from the core reintroduction area in the Chilterns, and there are regular sightings in Hants.

What does surprise me, is when you mention the 'smaller' birds. The young red kites have just/are about to fledge, (give or take a week or so) but they will usually stay around the nest area for a couple of weeks, quite often using the nest as a platform to feed. Young kites when they leave the nest are usually more or less the same size as the adults, but are different in plumage, etc.

They do not fly around in family units, but they are gregarious and will flock together if there is a food source.

In the field, and looking casually at the birds, there is no difference between male and female red kites - although the females tend to be larger and heavier, there is an overlap, so it's not always a reliable way to determine their sex. It is possible, if they were kites, that there was a marked difference in a male/female and that the female was on the larger side, but the male was on the much small side.

I have just finished taking care of 14 kite chicks in a holding pen, which are being translocated to Scotland. Believe me, they were enormous by the time they left me!

Take a look at the website mentioned below for more detailed info on the local Chilterns kites.

Hope this helps!

[wildherbalian85]

Originally Posted by Helo

Hello

It is possible you saw red kites. They are dispersing from the core reintroduction area in the Chilterns, and there are regular sightings in Hants.

What does surprise me, is when you mention the 'smaller' birds. The young red kites have just/are about to fledge, (give or take a week or so) but they will usually stay around the nest area for a couple of weeks, quite often using the nest as a platform to feed. Young kites when they leave the nest are usually more or less the same size as the adults, but are different in plumage, etc.

They do not fly around in family units, but they are gregarious and will flock together if there is a food source.

Hope this helps!

Hi, thanks.

not sure if its of any help but there were patches of (Deciduous) woodland scattered in the area of which they were flying (Gliding) to and from. Also i only assumed that they were young and old because of the size difference as for the plumage i only saw one - i believe it was a larger one though i did see the under wing markings of annother. The plumage was brick red and the other which i saw had black markings which kinda "V" shaped on the underside of its wings.

[Helo]

hello again....

When I mentioned the plumage, I probably should have said that juvenile kites have a more 'washed out' look about them, especially on the underparts. They also have a 'white line' that runs across their upper part, but if you didn't see the birds up close, it may have been difficult to see these differences. The kites have a 'white patch' underneath their wings, too, as well as having dark 'fingers' at the end of their wings.

Although the birds were quiet when you saw them, believe me, they can be very noisy indeed, especially when sat in the trees calling to each other! A great sound though - beats the sounds of humans any day!

[Oscar the Grouch]

This afternoon, I was driving a van up the M3. Half way between Winchester and Basingstoke I spotted a bird flying fairly low over a field off to my right. A second glance confirmed that it was definitely a red kite - the tail was unmissable.

If I hadn't been doing 70mph in the middle lane of the aforementioned motorway, I would have stopped and got out to do a quick jig!

[deer boy]

Originally Posted by Oscar the Grouch

This afternoon, I was driving a van up the M3. Half way between Winchester and Basingstoke I spotted a bird flying fairly low over a field off to my right. A second glance confirmed that it was definitely a red kite - the tail was unmissable.

If I hadn't been doing 70mph in the middle lane of the aforementioned motorway, I would have stopped and got out to do a quick jig!

Did u not get a pic

[Oscar the Grouch]

Oh yeh!

I can just imagine the conversation with the nice man in the police car...

"So sir. You stopped your van in the middle lane of the motorway, causing 5 accidents and traffic tailbacks of up to 15 miles - just so that you could take a picture of a birdy."

"That's correct, officer"

"And can you show me a picture of this birdy?"

"Here - look at this"

"Well blow me down! It's a red kite. That changes everything, sir. Please go about your business. Evenin' all!"

NOT!

[NikkiStar]

Just got back from a Kite watching weekend in mid-Wales... incredibly beautiful birds. Cheated a bit and went to see them being fed at Gigrin - around 150-200 individuals all diving for food right in front of the hide - quite a sight!! Nice to hear they're starting to be spotted more and more regularly across the UK though....

[wildherbalian85]

Originally Posted by NikkiStar

Nice to hear they're starting to be spotted more and more regularly across the UK though....

Until the farmers and game keepers start shooting them

Of course nothing will happen to them because either nobody witnessed it or due to a lack of evidence

[demicav]

Originally Posted by Oscar the Grouch

Oh yeh!

I can just imagine the conversation with the nice man in the police car...

"So sir. You stopped your van in the middle lane of the motorway, causing 5 accidents and traffic tailbacks of up to 15 miles - just so that you could take a picture of a birdy."

"That's correct, officer"

"And can you show me a picture of this birdy?"

"Here - look at this"

"Well blow me down! It's a red kite. That changes everything, sir. Please go about your business. Evenin' all!"

NOT!

Good post, made me laugh.

[deer boy]

Originally Posted by oscar The Grouch

oh Yeh!

I Can Just Imagine The Conversation With The Nice Man In The Police Car...

"so Sir. You Stopped Your Van In The Middle Lane Of The Motorway, Causing 5 Accidents And Traffic Tailbacks Of Up To 15 Miles - Just So That You Could Take A Picture Of A Birdy."

"that's Correct, Officer"

"and Can You Show Me A Picture Of This Birdy?"

"here - Look At This"

"well Blow Me Down! It's A Red Kite. That Changes Everything, Sir. Please Go About Your Business. Evenin' All!"

Not!

Lol.

[NikkiStar]

Originally Posted by wildherbalian85

Until the farmers and game keepers start shooting them

Of course nothing will happen to them because either nobody witnessed it or due to a lack of evidence

Yeah I know they are still having trouble with this in Wales. This may be showing my ignorance but I don't really understand why they are so heavily persecuted?? From my understanding they are primarily scavenging birds and only really hunt wild prey in the spring when they are feeding young. How much of a threat can they really pose to livestock? (Genuine question - I don't know the answer....)

[wildherbalian85]

Originally Posted by NikkiStar

Yeah I know they are still having trouble with this in Wales. This may be showing my ignorance but I don't really understand why they are so heavily persecuted?? From my understanding they are primarily scavenging birds and only really hunt wild prey in the spring when they are feeding young. How much of a threat can they really pose to livestock? (Genuine question - I don't know the answer....)

Easy targets.

It's not uncommon to see the shot up remains of kestrels round here - why?? Well i reckon its because they are easy targets. Maybe though im just being silly.

[moz]

A sure fire sign for telling between buzzards and red kites is the tail.the kite has a very distinctive v shape tail the buzzards is rounded and when a buzzard glides the wing tips point forward in line with its head whereas a kites bend backwards slightly at the 'elbow' hope this helps for future sightings the area you saw them in is now a hot spot for sightings.

[wildherbalian85]

Originally Posted by moz

A sure fire sign for telling between buzzards and red kites is the tail.the kite has a very distinctive v shape tail the buzzards is rounded and when a buzzard glides the wing tips point forward in line with its head whereas a kites bend backwards slightly at the 'elbow' hope this helps for future sightings the area you saw them in is now a hot spot for sightings.

Thanks for that, but damn you Only kidding but seriously you have caused me some serious doubt on the I.D of a resident bird of prey on a field close to me. There is another thread in here on the subject and i with help of others came to the conclusion it was a buzzard - thing is today when i was down by that field i heard the green woodpeckers making a racket and upon looking up to see what the commotion was about, i saw the buzzard(?) flying towards it's tree. I noted other then its large wing span that the tail was straight looking - similar to a sparrowhawk, but I know that it is not a sparrowhawk though they are in this area - the biggest give away is its size - its massive.

[Meta menardi]

Originally Posted by wildherbalian85

Easy targets.

It's not uncommon to see the shot up remains of kestrels round here - why?? Well i reckon its because they are easy targets. Maybe though im just being silly.

You know, I would leap in to defend the country community here, but why are so many road signs in country areas struck down with lead pox?