27th January 2010 – Red, White & Black….

Chris arrived at mine just before 0700hrs and we made our way to Penrith to meet up with Roy and ‘The Craigster’. We all piled into Roy’s car and continued on our journey south. Four hours later we arrived at Rhaydar in time for another coffee. Just before 1300hrs we made our way to Gigrin Farm. On arrival at the farm we could see good numbers of Red Kites. Once we had paid our£4.00 entrance fee we made our way to the viewing fence and began scanning the kites. ‘The Craigster’ was on form and promptly picked out the juvenile Black Kite flying above one of the nearby hills. Seeing the bird at this range was very educational. The bird appeared considerably smaller than the Red Kites it was accompanying; this was perhaps exaggerated by the birds broader and shorter wings coupled with its shorter tail. Although the Black Kite was initially distant it gradually came closer allowing us to see its dark ear coverts and general grey-brown tones. In addition to the Black Kite there was also a leucistic Red Kite perched in a nearby tree, The Black Kite soon perched up in a tree for a short time allowing nice ‘scope views. Unfortunately it was a dull overcast day; so photography was going to be tricky to say the least.

As 1400hrs was fast approaching we made our way to one of the hides to await the feeding frenzy that was imminent. The farmer soon arrived and distributed the food in the area in front of the hides. The area was soon a swirling cloud of Red Kites. This was an immense site; with several hundred Red Kites in view. There were also a couple of Grey Herons, 18 Buzzards and good numbers of Raven amongst the other corvids.

It was good to see Gary and Hazel Jenkins in the hide; also enjoying the spectacle. Roy soon picked out the juvenile Black Kite amongst the swarm of Red Kites. It took me a while to get onto the bird, but once I did it was incredibly distinctive. The Black Kite flew very close to the hide at times; allowing us all to get superb views. Despite the poor light conditions I attempted to take some pictures of the bird.

After about an hour many of the kites (including the Black Kite) moved further away and dispersed. During this time there were a few breaks in the cloud and the moon was very visible. Inspired by Chris’s efforts, I decided to try and take some ‘arty’ shots of distant Red Kites!

After a further thirty minutes or so; a good number of Red Kites returned to feed and eventually the Black Kite returned.

Once the Kites had fed sufficiently the began to disperse, allowing Buzzards, Ravens, Grey Herons, Rooks, Jackdaws, Carrion Crows and (perhaps surprisingly) a flock of Pied Wagtails to finish off the scraps! It was great hearing the Ravens communicating with each other with there softer calls.

It had been an immense experience seeing the huge amount of Red Kites, the Black Kite and the supporting cast at such close quarters. The day had been superb; aside from the birds, the company was great!

For more information on Gigrin Farm Kite Feeding Station visit their website – http://www.gigrin.co.uk/