Ali's Garden - aka - Red Kite Central

Occasionally Liz organises a day out to visit her sister in darkest Hampshire, of course this really means that I have a few garden chores to perform. Today, with the weather set fair and the warmest temperatures predicted, I loaded the car with the necessary items, saw, secateurs and hedge trimmer and as a precaution a camera. Well, just now and again the garden is visited by some interesting raptors. Everything augured well as we approached the village, we were buzzed by a Red Kite, providing perfect views through the sun roof as it passed just ten feet over our heads.

Having parked on the drive and unloaded I left the camera in the car, wrong!! As I laid into a Buddleia of largish proportions we were overflown by a Kite, then a Sparrowhawk and finally a Buzzard. Back to the car and the camera was made ready, it wasn't long before another Red Kite flew over and I was snappin' away. At one stage we had three in view doing aerobatics and distant views of another that looked vaguely like a Black Kite - probably wishful thinking.

 

 

These birds are true scavengers, dropping into neighbouring gardens on the off chance of any snack. One such bird rose from a garden with "prey" in its talons. Subsequent processing of the frame at home revealed a half eaten bread roll!

One of the new nest boxes has been occupied, as has next door's chimney.

 

Lots of small birds about.