It was a heavy sky that greeted us in the morning, not ideal for viewing Red Kites but that is what we had planned. The BBC forecast said that the weather would improve in the afternoon and the feeding took place at 15:00 so we had high hopes. However in remained dull and overcast although it didn't actually rain for which we were grateful.
We walked 100 metres down the road to the hides and found at least another 20 people there. The Kites had been gathering for some time, apparently they are more likely to do this in poor weather but when it is warm and the skies are clear, they prefer to stay up in the thermals and come for the food much later. The warden arrived with the meat and through it over a fenced-off area about 15 metres from the hides. Very soon the Kites came closer and started to dive down into the field snatching a piece of meat without landing or only spending a few seconds on the ground. They wheeled around in a most athletic way and often attempted to pinch the food from any bird that had successfully picked up some meat. It was very impressive to watch but the dull weather made photography difficult.
An opportunistic buzzard decided to join in and it was interesting to see the different technique. The buzzard landed and spent about ten minutes on the ground stuffing itself with meat. The Red Kites were a little upset about this and occasionally tried to dive bomb the buzzard but, although it watched the attacks, it didn't move.
Photos: Throwing the meat; The Red Kites.
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