Its funny how one very small post I made on this blog earlier this year has sparked off quite a few comments about Red Kite sightings in Hampshire. Thing is this is quite significant and as a member of the RSPB, it is very exciting to see that these splendid birds are living what seems to be a very comfortable existence.
My interest in this particular species goes back many years. I saw my first Kite in the Dordogne region of France whilst on holiday. My Dad and I were watching a bird of prey circling at a great height, it was almost impossible to make out what it was until it started to gradually descend. My Dad was able to identify it for me, as he got a better view of it and confirmed it as being a Red Kite. We caught sight of it a number of times after that close to the farmhouse we were staying in at the time. One day I shall tell you about some of the other creatures we saw there, Marmosets for example, yes, In France, no idea how they got there but a local guy was convinced that’s what they were and believe you me they had the whole village perplexed as much as they did us…
I digress….
Fast forward quite a few years (!!!), I hear about Red Kites being repatriated in our own country, many centuries after they were wiped out by persecution. I thought nothing of it until about 2 or 3 years ago when we were driving through Oxfordshire, I spotted one flying overhead, that was nothing though as a little further down the road we saw a group of 20! It was an incredible sight and we had to stop, just to take it all in. We were witnessing with our own eyes, something quite extraordinary, a bird that had been extinct in this country for so long, was back and in big numbers.
Since that day I have been gradually exploring various areas around Buckinghamshire/Berkshire and have seen Red Kites in Slough of all places. However the best place to see them in the South of England, has got to be Stokenchurch, Bucks. You cannot fail to spot one there, in fact you can see large flocks of them circling high above the village and further out into the Chilterns.
My research indicated that this was very much the case, that Red Kites were breeding very well in Buckinghamshire, Northern England and all over Wales. No mention anywhere of them being sighted in Hampshire (my home county) or anywhere else. So when I saw one for the first time in my own county, I was very pleased indeed. Since that first sighting, I have seen plenty more, probably about a dozen now and most of them around the Basingstoke area.
This brings me back to the comments I have received for the original post – Many people out there have also spotted them and I did a search on Google for “red kite Hampshire” and my site is listed in second place and I have outranked a page on the BBC site too! I only wrote a few words too which I find quite amusing! Its a clear indication of how powerful the blog medium is…
UPDATE 22nd June 2009
A number of people are having wonderful sightings and I am particularly interested in what Sandy was saying about Kites feeding from their garden. I would be interested in discussing this further with anyone who has such sightings, as I would love to make arrangements to come and photograph the birds in action.
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Spotted what I believe to be a kite (I’m no expert) today around the A30 between Hartley Witney and Hook. I’ve seen a biggish bird of prey in that area around the Winchfield railway cutting also and suspect it may be the same type. Rusty reddy brown with a v tail.
Sounds like a red kite!
Another sighting in Hampshire – out for a run around the Wallops about half an hour ago; I’m fairly close to the Hawk Conservancy Trust who have had a release programme so it’s possible that it was one of theirs.
We’ve been seeing Red Kite on a fairly regular basis in our usual walking spot in Hampshire this year We are hopeful that a pair may be breeding/have bred in the area. Have been on holiday but hoping they will be visible today
Spotted a Red Kite yesterday afternoon just outside Basingstoke town centre close to Morrisons.
Hello
I just noticed your discussions about Red Kites. I am licenced by DEFRA to study them at close quarters in Hampshire, and so I thought I’d share my findings.
2008 has seen a continuation in the expansion of Red Kites breeding in the county with nine nests identified with five of these known to have hatched a total of ten young (two at each nest). Results from three sites are not known, while disturbance at another prevented breeding. The likely breeding population of Red Kites in Hampshire is undoubtedly larger than these records suggest.
At two of the nests a total of four chicks were fitted with radio transmitters, and all are still alive in early October. They are ranging around E Berkshire, S Buckinghamshire, E Wiltshire and NW Hampshire.
This is major milestone for the county, where breeding ceased in 1864. Very few sightings were made until the mid-1990s. For example only 11 sightings were reported in 1992, but there were around 200 reports in 1999.
Despite the relatively few sightings at the time, single pairs nested in Hampshire in 1995 and 1996. Then there was a big gap until 2003 when a pair established a regular nest which has been used every year since. However no other nests were discovered until 2007 when an additional two pairs bred – although we suspect one of these also nested in 2006.
The Hawk Conservancy Trust released 12 birds in Hampshire between 2003 and 2005. At least two of these have remained in the county and are known to have bred in 2008.
A winter roost of Red Kites in N Hampshire was discovered in early 2006. Numbers here peak at around 60 and the majority of those present are immature birds. There are at least two other roosts in NE/N Hampshire with 40 and 20 birds respectively.
I hope that helps. I am particularly keen that we keep an eye on any nests, so I’d welcome any information, but because Red Kites are still of interest to egg collectors, please send me this directly and not in the public arena.
Keith Betton
Assistant Recorder
Hampshire Ornithological Society
keithbetton@hotmail.com
Keith – Thankyou very much for this fascinating information. I would never reveal nest sites here on the site, only flight sightings.
I would like to add that I believe I may have seen one over Farnborough this weekend near where I live, I cannot confirm this 100% because I only caught a glimpse of a reddish large bird that swooped into a tree near Farnborough Abbey.
Nick
Your Farnborough bird does not sound right – and they generally don’t swoop into trees. I am about 3 miles S of you and I have never seen one in the Farnborough area.
Keith
I was putting up my Christmas lights today (6 December) and saw a kite soaring very high over the extreme south western part of West End, Southampton (bordering on Townhill Park). It occasionally flapped its wings. I wondered what it was doing. No prey up there? It was definitely a kite – forked tail. It went of southwards. Is it unusual to see a kite here this time of year?
It isn’t all that unusual for Kites to venture into towns and other built up areas. Kites used to be a common sight in London 100s of years ago. I have heard they are making a return there although I doubt they’ll ever be as prolific there as they once were – So in a nutshell, I don’t believe it to be odd that you saw one where you did and at this time of year they are very active.
The bird flying high over Southampton is typical of an individual bird on the move from A to B. They fly high in those situations. However they are not generally in the Southampton area. 90% of the Red Kites in Hampshire are W, NW and N of Basingstoke, and at the moment there are at least 100 in that general area, with many more further N in the Chilterns.
There are 5-6 sightings over Southampton every year, but that is a statistical probability issue – there are nearly 250,000 people in Southampton, so a bird flying over is really likely to be seen. I have never seen one from my house in Farnham, but if I sat on the roof every day I’d probably see one within a year.
Keith Betton
Hi,
I just wanted to tell you all about the sighting of 5 red kites i made today. They were all flying above the houses in Woodley near Reading. I was amazed at the size, colour and pure grace these birds have. I have never seen one before so to see 5 all soaring together was one of the greatest sights i have ever seen.
If i wasnt working then i would have stayed there for hours. The guy i was working for said they see them all the time so i will be heading back there with my bins and a camera. I know woodley is in berkshire and not hampshire but i thought you guys would like to hear about them anyway.
I heard they were really rare not so long ago so im really pleased to see/hear that britains most beautiful bird is making a come back.
Dan
Strangely enough I saw a few today whilst travelling by train between Reading and Burnham which passes near Woodley (I think?). Thanks for sharing!
We have been enjoying the beautiful shape of the lovely Red Kite over our woods between Basingstoke and Overton for several months now. What a treat.
Just got back from a trip out near Salisbury way (I am in Winchester) and saw a red kite over fields near Sparsholt College – initially thought it was a buzzard as we’d seen a few on the way out, but the forked tail gave it away. Very pleased to see it as the last time I saw one was in the south of France 20 years ago!
Hello all, i live in Woodley near Reading and have the great pleasure of seeing Red Kites every day of the week. There are loads round here, i can see up to 5 or 6 per day. As a keen bird watcher myself i have noticed there numbers growing sufficiently over the past 3 years. I have a studio in Hurst with a large field next door to it which is home to about 3 Buzzards and the occasional Sparrow Hawk. I am slowly seeing less and less of the Buzzards and more and more of the Kites. I was wandering if the increasing numbers of Kites is posing any threat to the Buzzard population in my area… i have grown very fond of my little buzzard family over the years!
jme
James – Thanks for your comment. Interesting thoughts on whether the Kite population is edging out that of the Buzzards? I imagine that they are competitive in the sense that they are both part of the hawk family and eat very similar things including carrion. I am sure that one of our regular experts here will chip in with their thoughts
I saw what I thought was a red kite over the A33 near the Lunways crossroads close to Micheldever. It was much more delicate than our buzzards and the tail was working strongly to keep it balanced. I can remember seeing my first buzzard in this area and not knowing what it was (thought it was an eagle!) – and that was only ten years ago or so. I recently saw a female sparrowhawk take a pigeon and begin eating it within a few feet of where I was standing. Let’s hope that red kites are also returning. There has been quite an increase in wildlife in this area in recent years.
Thanks Liz and I can understand why you thought it to have been an Eagle especially if you’re not used to seeing them (Red Kites that is!)
I live in Winterslow on the Wilts/Hants border 5 miles NE of Salisbury. Last year I saw the first Red Kites in this area and made 2 sightings. Already this year 3 sightings in the last month. All lone birds. 1 in the village, 1 on the road into Salisbury and 1 just outside Andover near Weyhill. Looks like they are spreading south west from Hants. I drive the road from Salibury to Andover almost daily and am always on the look out so will report any further sighting. Great blog by the way – have added to my google reader feeds!
Thanks for your kind comments Jon!
Hi, like Keith I am also involved with monitoring the red kites here in the Chilterns.
Additionally, I have also taken care of red kite chicks prior to their tranlocation to Aberdeen, as part of a reintroduction project taking place in Scotland.
I am fortunate in that I live in the middle of woods, near the core area where the kites where originally reintroduced some years ago, so am able to observe them very closely on a daily basis. I have also clocked up more than 500 hours of observing the kite on the nest and in particular its behaviour when on and close to its nest – through coordinating a nestwatch and recording and editing footage of it.
Regarding the buzzard – I know of a buzzard nest very close to a kite nest. Although they don’t tolerate each other in the immediate vicinity of their respective nests, they do live quite happily in the same area, and indeed are seen regularly in the same wood.
Just a quick note about the swooping into trees – I see this regularly, I also observe them falling to the ground when they have locked talons in flight, most of the time they just manage to unlock before reaching the woodland ground, but over the past year or so, I have witnessed them tumbling to the ground on numerous occasions. This appears to be more common than some people believe.
The website is a source of information about the kites in the Chilterns, and the work done supporting other reintroduction projects around the country.
Thanks for backing up my “swooping” matter! I definitely have seen this happen and also can recall seeing a couple of kites locked in “battle” when I last visited Stokenchurch (about a year ago). Thanks for your comment. I will be sure to check out your website too. Will be more than happy to give it a more prominent link on here too.
Saw a Red Kite take off and soar to the heights above Old Park Close (off Folly Hill) in Farnham this morning, just before 9am. All I knew was that it was a sizeable bird of prey but managed to snap a picture with my mobile phone and it has been identified as a kite by a keen twitcher.
I’ve just found these posts whilst trying to identify a couple of birds of prey my Mum managed to photograph from her garden in Hook, Hampshire. From these posts and some images I found on Google I’m fairly sure they were a pair of kites.
Hi, Just watched 3 Red Kites soaring over southern part of Eastleigh. Definately kites, quite high up but not moving over too fast, interestingly one of them has primary feathers missing on its left wing, very noticeable. Also had a Periginee pass through the garden a few days ago!!
I have seen a single Red Kite on at least 6 occasions over the past 4 months over the south west side of Basingstoke. And what a wonderful sight it was too.
Keith – Always a wonderful site and they have such prowess.
I believe I have just seen a red kite over the the Anton River valley in Andover from my back garden, caught a thermal for couple of minutes then headed off in a south westerly direction towards monxton/weyhill
Hi Ann – Wow that is the furthest report I’ve heard into Hampshire but considering their spread over the past years, it doesn’t surprise me at all.
Yup – I saw one a few weeks ago close to Hambledon in Hampshire. I wasn’t sure at first because my book says they normally live a bit further north, but it was definitely a red kite!
Please see a new post I have written at http://www.nicklewis.net/2009/04/24/red-kites-sighting-monk-sherborne
and http://www.nicklewis.net/2009/04/23/red-kites-in-hampshire-update
i was out walking the dog in fareham hants and saw a red kite flying above us it had a fork tail good to see birds like that around here
Billington Gradens, Hedge End Soton. Working in the area,most days we watch as many as 7 Kites circling high above. Beautiful sight !
There’s one flying over our field near Westbourne. Lovely to see it along with the buzzards and kestrels.
I live in Woodley Reading and had several red kites circling my garden taking scraps put out for the birds. I’ve since been putting out raw chicken with the skin on at 3.00pm I am now getting 14 kites circling and taking the chicken from my garden. This is an amazing sight, I’m not causing a problem by doing this am I……
Thanks Sandy
I live in Woodley Reading and had several red kites circling my garden taking scraps put out for the birds. I’ve since been putting out raw chicken with the skin on at 3.00pm I am now getting 14 kites circling and taking the chicken from my garden. This is an amazing sight, I’m not causing a problem by doing this am I……?
As for the swooping mentioned they are doing it all the time looks playful, and yes I’m in no doubt that these are red kites.
Thanks Sandy
Not at all, Red Kites eat anything as you could see quite clearly from your own back garden.
@NickL
I’m not so sure about the feeding bit – this suggests it might not be such a good idea
http://www.zsl.org/zsl-whipsnade-zoo//news/killing-kites-with-kindness,326,NS.html
Regarding the comments Nick about red kites in Oxfordshire, Bucks and Berks on here, if you are ever on the M40 and want to see red kites and you are near the High Wycombe area if you come off at junction 5 for Stokenchurch just drive through the village and you will see loads of kites. Also, if you drive through Stokenchurch heading towards High Wycombe you will come across Studley Wood Garden Centre on the right hand side. They have a permanent display concerning red kites and during the breeding season, March to April have a webcam set up on a nest. Feeding is now allowed as originally it was banned and if you google this you will see advice as given out by the RSPB and Southern Kite Group. Living in Aylesbury as I do, I am priviledge to be able to see these animals from my front doorstep. Finally, if you look on Ebay for @Red kites in the Chilterns’ you should come across a book a reasonably priced book that tells you all about their reintroduction into the area. Thanks Darrell
Feeding guidelines are here:-
http://www.chilternsaonb.org/downloads/kite_feeding_guidelines.pdf
@Jon S
I saw a red kite eating a phesant in a field just off a road in winterslow,wilts/hants boarder 2 days ago, amazing sight, much bigger than the local buzzards, was watching in awe for a good couple of minutes!
Am watching a red kite soaring over Hartley Wintney as i type this! Wonderful looking bird, have now seen it 3 days in a row circling over our garden in the afternoon. Awe inspiring
I saw two red kites over Hazeley Heath, just north of Hartley Wintney, this afternoon. One came down very low over the house for a few moments -it was beautiful.
Have just come down the A30 and saw a pair of Red Kites around Basingstoke Country Hotel area – what a privelege! They take my breath away.
I now have a very definite sighting of a red kite hovering over a field in West Stratton near Micheldever. We have been in mid Wales recently (just west of Knighton on the Welsh border) and saw a large number of kites (5 or 6)flying quite close to a number of buzzards. The kite in West Stratton was hovering and then wheeling away to return to hover again. They are so elegant in comparison with the buzzards.
I’ve watched a family of Red Kites at about the same time in the morning for the last two days near Beacon Hill. It looks like two adults and a juvenile. They’re such a beatufil bird to watch and fortunately they gave me a very good display. They’ve been around this area for a few years, but this is the first time I’ve seen a family gathering.
In West Berks we see red kites all the time. Just one thing though; my son who lives in Hermitage has started to keep chickens (he has four) and he has told me that whenever red kites are circling the chickens get very upset. Are they in any danger from kites (and buzzards).
That is a good question. I do know that Kites are generally carrion eaters which would suggest that live prey is possibly a secondary option for them. Experts please tell me if I am wrong!
Was walking this afternoon in Froyle and looking at 4 buzzards soaring and mewing overhead when we saw a Red Kite in amongst them. They drifted off Northwards together. This is this first Kite we have seen in Hants since we moved here 20 months ago.
That’s fantastic to hear. I saw 4 of them today over on the Berkshire/Buckinghamshire border.
I believe I have seen a Red Kite flying over Hook in Hampshire on a few occassions over the past few weeks. My sister-in-law lives in Watlington, Oxfordshire where there is an established group so I am familiar with their effortless soaring flight.
I saw a pair of red kites flying very low over the A31 at the Bentley exit in June this year. I was so excited at this wonderful sight after spending many days watching them in the Chilterns. Last September I witnessed around fifty of them following tractors ploughing a field on a gorgeous sunny Autumn day near to Burnham Beeches. When observing Red kites I have seen kestrels and buzzards very close by and they seem to exist side by side quite happily. We are fortunate enough to have had a successful breeding pair of buzzards and ketrels living within 200 yards of each other for the last 2 years and so are very much hoping that some kites come along to join our happy neighbourhood soon!
29th Sept – Saw one just outside basingstoke, just south of the first M-way junc (7) in open country. very exciting but had to be careful as driving at 70mph. first thought it was a buzzard and then saw the colour and the tail shape and realised and confirmed with my passenger.
Fantastic – I fully appreciate the problems they cause when you spot them at 70mph!!
I very nearly forgot to mention this – my wife and I saw a fantastic adult Red Kite today flying over the A30 just between Hook and Hatch. It was being mobbed by a crow and flying really low, so we got a good look at the chap. In the past week I have seen one nearly every day – going a little further out towards Windsor and Slough, just on the Berkshire/Bucks border, they appear to be hanging around along the M4 and close to the Jubilee river. That does go a little beyond the scope of the original article I wrote!
I have just seen@ least 6 red Kites soaring over the south downs just east of East Meon as I was driving by in my bus @ approx 3:30 pm 23-10 2009
Jeff that is a great sighting indeed and I have heard of sightings in that region.
On 30/10/09 at 16:00hrs saw 3 red kites as I was walking over Park Hill just north of East Meon (grid ref SU685226) church. Never seen red kites this far south before. Previously seen plenty over North Hants border areas, Hannington, Vernham Dean, Walbury Hill. Great to see them spreading far and wide.
Looking out of my bedroom window in Rotherwick, near Hook on the morning of 27th Dec, I spotted a bird of prey being harassed by the local rook population. Inititally believing it to be a buzzard, it was only as it got closer that I realised that it was something entirely different, with a distinctive forked tail and longer, thinner wingspan. Looking it up in my bird bible confirmed it as a red kite (my mum was also a witness). Confirmation was complete after finding all this info on-line that they are indeed active in this area. I continue to look out of my window in anticiaption of seeing it again…
That is fantastic Fiona and I too have seen them in your area whilst driving towards Basingstoke. I am sure you will see them again, so keep your eyes peeled
My mum attends the daycare centre in Woodley 3 days a week & it’s rare NOT to see red kites. On a couple of occasions, I’ve felt sure that up to 3 kites have followed the car. They’ve circled round us when we get out, coming down to just above the treetops. Last week one kite just seemed to stop maybe 15/20 ft directly above as though it was watching. They seem interested in us. They also circle over our house towards Wokingham, coming quite low. I’m desperate to have one in the garden & was considering putting chicken out to attract them (especially for the RSPB bird count this month!) But now that I’ve read the link quoted by Snodgrass – I won’t! Even though I see them regularly, it’s still a huge thrill when they appear. Such beautiful birds. Although I may change my mind if they get hungry in this snowy weather & chase my cat! Saw one today around the Slough junction of the M4 too.