New Forest Red Kite?

mbaldw · #1 (**permalink**) 14-10-2009, 03:40 PM

Hi folk,

my girlfriend and I were walking around Royden Woods (about a mile outside Brockenhurst) in the New Forest this morning when we came across a group of rooks making a huge noise (and I mean they were going bananas - I've seen corvids mobbing buzzards before but I'd never heard them make this kind of racket). Looking up, I saw a bird of prey fly over and although I only got a very brief glimpse, it seemed bigger than a buzzard (we saw a couple shortly afterwards) and two things struck me: it's colouration was orangey and I swear it had a forked tail. Having been through the WAB Gallery and my books, the only BoP I can find that has both is the Red Kite. Does anyone know if there are kites in this part of the Forest, or am I likely to have been a victim of my own imagination?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Cheers,
Marc.

ChrisR · #2 (**permalink**) 14-10-2009, 03:47 PM

I am not really up with Red Kite distribution but they have been spreading out and I remember listening to a talk where one of the speakers said that at least one Red kite had been tracked flying down to Cornwall or Devon, from Oxfordshire, and then flying back again

wildherbalian85 · #3 (**permalink**) 14-10-2009, 03:48 PM

Don't know but i saw a Raven just outside Brockenhurst (Whitemoor) on Monday... also noticed some distant large BoP's thought maybe Buzzards.

Deer Stalker · #4 (**permalink**) 14-10-2009, 04:00 PM

Hi Marc, we do get them passing through in the autumn & spring.

mbaldw · #5 (**permalink**) 14-10-2009, 04:02 PM

Hi folks,

thanks for the input - nice to see that I might not have been seeing things. I'll have to get back up there soon!

Cheers,
Marc.

Beekeeper · #6 (**permalink**) 14-10-2009, 07:40 PM

Hi Marc, you may be right with your id and i really hope you are, but just out of interest, there are quite a few Buzzards that frequent the area of Roydon Woods and at Brockenhurst Park which borders the wood, i shall keep a look out the next time i am in the Roydon wood area and see if i can confirm your sighting, i always take my camera with me when in that area as there are so many interesting things to photograph, so with a bit of luck---probably a lot of luck i might even come back with a picture, wishful thinking but who knows.

Ian

mbaldw · #7 (**permalink**) 14-10-2009, 08:18 PM

Hi Ian,

thanks for your thoughts - we were actually up there following the trail you sent me instructions for recently. We did see a couple of buzzards, it was just interesting that both my gf and I thought how the corvids seemed more 'wound-up' than we've ever seen them before - making some noises I've hardly ever heard rooks make before! I'll be interested to know if you spot anything.

Cheers,
Marc.

Keith Talbot · #8 (**permalink**) 14-10-2009, 08:51 PM

Interesting,ive been in and around that area alot recently,i'll have to keep my ears and eyes open

ray55 · #9 (**permalink**) 15-10-2009, 06:11 AM

Hi Marc
I saw a red kite over the M27near Rownhams services recently, so I think there's every possibility you may have seen one in the forest..not that far away after all.