Topic: Red Kite's

[Titchmarsh]

The number of Red Kites around here (Thrapston) is doubling every year. Nice to see them, How far are they spreading ? I beleave they were first released at Rockingham near Corby about 10 miles from here.

[Carol]

Red Kites are found in various places in Scotland,  Dumfries & Galloway,  Inverness area.  Apparently one was spotted in the Scottish Borders where I live couple of weeks back and some B***** shot it.  It was found suffering on Greenlaw Moor last week.  The local wildlife vet took it in and thought it was recovering but it died from its injuries.  Why oh Why do they have to shoot such beautiful birds.  Even a Golden Eagle was shot in Peeblesshire last year leaving the Male Eagle to finish bringing up a chick.  He succeeded apparently and now the Male has found another mate this year and has another chick.  Red Kites live off carion so why shoot it, its not going to lift game birds, only dead ones that could off course be laced with poison.  Oh it sickens me, really does.  Hope them killers rot in Hell.

[silly billy]

There are loads at High Wycombe. My inlaws neighbour puts road kill out and they swoop down to take it. One of the neighbours complained because a deers leg was dropped in his garden!! I have seen 10-20 at a time coming down to take chicken pieces. The speed that they swoop is amazing.

[keef]

Tons round here too in the West Berks Downs.. a few Buzzards aswell. When the farmers are out silage making i've seen 10 or 20 hanging about.. they seem to home in on the activity - much like seagulls when ploughing.

At the front of my parents house is a large wood with a big rookery in it, it always amuses me when a kite flies over the top, its like the rooks sound an air raid siren - and the fighters take off and attack!

[tim k]

Always see them round here must be good thermals over the marina as there are a pair here most mornings and they are gone by about eleven lovely to look at :)

[Hot_Potato]

I'm somewhere just outside of Reading  and they're swooping about here overhead on a daily basis and wonderful to watch, so graceful

It wasn't however like that a few years back and it's been so important that this has happened & they've now reinhabited the area, that my granddaughter's Primary School made a important topic/feature of it for all the class to get involved in a few years back

[Theplotthickens]

Red Kites are found in various places in Scotland,  Dumfries & Galloway,  Inverness area.  Apparently one was spotted in the Scottish Borders where I live couple of weeks back and some B***** shot it.  It was found suffering on Greenlaw Moor last week.  The local wildlife vet took it in and thought it was recovering but it died from its injuries.  Why oh Why do they have to shoot such beautiful birds.  Even a Golden Eagle was shot in Peeblesshire last year leaving the Male Eagle to finish bringing up a chick.  He succeeded apparently and now the Male has found another mate this year and has another chick.  Red Kites live off carion so why shoot it, its not going to lift game birds, only dead ones that could off course be laced with poison.  Oh it sickens me, really does.  Hope them killers rot in Hell.

Strange thing about the shot/poisoned birds of prey, they don`t get tagged/logged etc. when found or when destroyed.........if one were cynical, one may presume that it was just the same old half a dozen birds or so doing the rounds  ::)

[Robert_Brenchley]

Why on earth would anyone assume that? Some people still think that anything with sharp teeth or a hooked beak is their mortal enemy.

[Theplotthickens]

Why on earth would anyone assume that? Some people still think that anything with sharp teeth or a hooked beak is their mortal enemy.

Errrr ........and some people still think that ! You don`t read the Daily Mail do you ??

[Carol]

I chose to ignore your comment, didn't make sense anyways. Just stupid. 

[Theplotthickens]

I chose to ignore your comment, didn't make sense anyways. Just stupid. 

Errr, no you didn`t.

[Robert_Brenchley]

You're just trying to provoke people.

[sawfish]

OK theplotthickens you windup merchant  ;)

You're right though your average Daily Mail reader probably would think that.

Its true though Kites have weak talons so dont really kill anything. I love them but I've never seen one.

I remember a few years back up in Aberdeen some snooty 60 something gamekeeper being tried and convicted for killing an eagle, what a sad prat I thought when I saw the pictures of him walking out the court in his daft plus four tweeds with his equally stupid family supporting him for what he did.

How on earth could you be horrible enough to put poison down and kill eagles? It happens a lot still with the more ignorant old school gamekeepers!

[Old bird]

Down in West Sussex my old Village of Burpham where I lived 50 odd years ago they are all out for the shooting and kill any and all other wildlife.  I went for a walk when I was down there a few weeks back and there was a rook/crow (don't know the difference) and a pigeon fluttering on the ground unable to fly and had obviously been poisoned.  Also the rabbit runs all had traps.  It used to be a beautiful place where you could walk on the downs and see hares, rabbits, all manner of birds - but now it is all threats - keep your dog on a lead and all manner of footpath disincentives to use them!

Hopefully in time shooting will be banned.  In theory I don't have aproblem with the actual fact that birds are shot for fun/money/bravado/bragging (as against the Deer hunting that still takes place where I live!!!!!) as the birds were bred for the purpose and to me that is farming in an extreme form.

But it is the complete control that the sometimes very nasty gamekeepers use and the threats and the killing of beautiful protected birds that I completely HATE!

Old Bird

 ???

[Olivia G]

Who would do such a thing - shooting such a beautiful bird makes me sick.  If someone came up to me bragging that they had shot a kite I would tell him where to stick it!  I'm near Reading too and we often see them flying over the house - it's great that they are coming back. If only people in this country were better educated. 

[ACE]

I think they are having trouble  way up in the Highlands with Sea Eagles that have been re-introduced. They have all of a sudden taken 200 lambs. I expect these lambs are doing the rounds as compensation can be claimed if an introduced bird threatens livelyhoods.

I think it is all scaremongering and lies. One crofter said he had 150 sheep on his 4 acres! I wonder how many he will lose. I do a garden that size and I bet you could only feed 50 sheep in that small area.

[OllieC]

Does anyone know where you can get the forms from (to apply for compensation)? I've just had my entire flock of sheep taken too! One minute there they were in my back garden, then I distinctly remember a Sea Eagle flying past, and now they're not there. Not even a trace...

[betula]

Yes send me one.I had lots of sheep down the lottie. :)

[telboy]

Walking in the peak district some years ago, I said 'What are those things over there/ they look like sheep but they're not moving.
Clever buggers up here came the reply, plastic jobbies to fool the satellites.
Draw your own conclusion!

[OllieC]

What do you call a sheep with no legs?




















A cloud!