BIRDS OF PREY

White Tailed Eagle with takeaway (Isle of Mull, Scotland).

Red Kite flying in the rain at Gigrin Farm.

In the 19th century Red Kites (Milvus milvus) were persecuted to extinction in the UK, except for Wales. The dwindling population in Wales was then protected and steadily the numbers have increased. Now you can see vast numbers of these impressive birds of prey at Gigrin Farm Red Kite Feeding Station (supported by RSPB) located in the heart of Wales. It was such an amazing spectacle to see so many of them flying around at the same time.

The underwings of a Red Kite.

Following the successful reintroduction of Red Kites in the late 1980s (RSPB project) in the Chilterns, East Midlands, Yorkshire and north-east England, they've spread further across the country and now can be seen as far south as the South Downs in West Sussex. This beauty flew overhead whilst I was walking along a track not far from Upper Beeding.

Juvenile Peregrine in flight.

The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) is such an impressive bird and the fastest in the world, reaching up to 200mph when it dives for its food. I was lucky enough to see them flying around Chichester Cathedral in 2020. Amongst other ID features, the juvenile lacks the yellow bill and colouration around the eye of an adult and its underparts are streaked black in vertical pattern (as opposed to horizontal barring on the adult) as seen with the adult photographed below at Bemptom Cliffs.