Wildlife Getting Closer

[gnasher16 29,671]

Might be at risk of getting a raspberry blown at me here but if you dont ask you dont find out.

Im noticing as the years go by ( and this year in particular ) how Red Kites are getting closer and closer to my home and i live 2 minutes from one of the busiest motorways in Europe surrounding one of the most highly populated capital cities in Europe.....5,6 years ago even we never saw one,like ever......now just stood in my garden i see them virtually every day in decent numbers ......how does that work,whats the reasons for it and does it have any connection to over population ( human ) and concreting over what used to be rural areas.

Apart from wanting to know from a general interest in wildlife point of view i also want to have some solid info to throw at the dopey lefty idiots i know 

Edited April 15 by gnasher16

[Borr 4,505]

It's do do with them successfully spreading across UK from a little village in Wales where they were reintroduced I think there was one left, they feed them think they had 3/400 of them there..

[Borr 4,505]

 

 

[chartpolski 20,488]

I see more and more of them each year; they were released at a site just across the river from me and they must be breeding very successfully.

The local pub there has even changed its name to “The Red Kite”. 
Cheers.

[shaaark 10,145]

18 minutes ago, Borr said:

It's do do with them successfully spreading across UK from a little village in Wales where they were reintroduced I think there was one left, they feed them think they had 3/400 of them there..

Gigrin farm, Rhayader.

Went there a couple of times, many years ago.

Elan Valley, mid Wales.

 

@gnasher16

The visitor centre, the reservoirs etc, are  beautiful places to visit, mate, but it's a fair old drive, about 200 miles, from your neck of the woods.

[pesky1972 4,931]

In certain places in Scotland Red Kites are a fairly common sight, although I’ve never seen them in the kind of large gatherings seen in England and Wales. There are a few places feeding them now no doubt to create an attraction for visitors. Think there were some planned reintroductions done years ago on the black isle and somewhere in the central belt. I might be wrong but I think a lot of these reintroductions are still done but kept on a lower key now, especially with the likes of raptors and mustelids etc. so as not to upset farmers, shooting estates and the like.

[DIDO.1 20,921]

In medieval times red kites were like the sea gulls of today....they were common in towns and cities. They are scavengers not hunters. If they are hunting it can be worms and small stuff so they are suited to living around man. I think that's right anyway.....we don't really get em up here so I probably just made that up. 

Do you see them dead on roads if they are scavenging on road kill and get hit themselves or are they too clever for that? 

I've seen two round here in 20 years, both high and passing through. 

Edited April 15 by DIDO.1

[pesky1972 4,931]

26 minutes ago, Borr said:

 

 

I’d like to see that in the flesh one day. They’re a pretty big bird and I think seeing a few hundred all at once would be pretty cool.

[shaaark 10,145]

6 minutes ago, pesky1972 said:

I’d like to see that in the flesh one day. They’re a pretty big bird and I think seeing a few hundred all at once would be pretty cool.

They are surprisingly large, when you get fairly close to them, and extremely agile in the air.

[tillylamp 1,809]

i went to Birmingham around 15 years or more ago now and there was a breeding program/feeding station for red kites up along the m40 (i think it was) and back then we must of seen the best part of 100 birds, and by the looks of it, it has been a successful program which has spread down across to your area, maybe they follow a motorway as the feeding stations are set up close to them.....

[mackem 23,851]

23 minutes ago, DIDO.1 said:

Do you see them dead on roads if they are scavenging on road kill and get hit themselves or are they too clever for that? 

Seen two dead on the roads,one in Surrey one in Switzerland,commonplace to see them around parts of west London thermalling.

[.357shooter 993]

on my local clay ground you can often see 20 or so.bloody big bird up close.

[WILF 44,363]

1 hour ago, DIDO.1 said:

In medieval times red kites were like the sea gulls of today....they were common in towns and cities. They are scavengers not hunters. If they are hunting it can be worms and small stuff so they are suited to living around man. I think that's right anyway.....we don't really get em up here so I probably just made that up. 

Do you see them dead on roads if they are scavenging on road kill and get hit themselves or are they too clever for that? 

I've seen two round here in 20 years, both high and passing through. 

Drive up the M40 towards Oxford from the M25 and it’s like that, they are all over the show.

 

[Borr 4,505]

I've noticed a massive decline in buzzard numbers, I remember seeing eleven buzzards over one pheasant drive at one time, here in west Wales probably see one buzzard and half a dozen kites in the day...

[Greyman 25,334]

8 minutes ago, Borr said:

I've noticed a massive decline in buzzard numbers, I remember seeing eleven buzzards over one pheasant drive at one time, here in west Wales probably see one buzzard and half a dozen kites in the day...

Loads of buzzards here red kites starting to make appearances more and more and muntjac deer spreading like wildfire otters are seen more and more as well see sign of them at least once a week