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| I spent many years photographing red kites in Wales with the help of Eithel Powell a very good friend. I visited him several times a year. I had the freedom of his farm which gave me a golden opportunity to photograph wildlife. I saw the kites which he fed on a regular basis grow in number from a few strays to about 1000 on a good day. |
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| He also had an area where injured and sick birds could be cared for until fit for release. I saw the above bird mantling a piece of meat and not making any attempt to eat. I decided to check and as I approached it I realised something was wrong. I picked it up and tucked under my jacket and to my surprise it snuggled down quite happily. It was pouring with rain and the bird was cold and soaking wet. It remained under my coat for about 20mins while I carried it to the shelter. Kites are intellegent birds and it must have felt safe and secure. It was released a couple of days later. |
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| Photography was good and kites were always present and happy to be photographed. |
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| Plenty of opertunities for action shots. |
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| The origonal picture before it was cropped had around 700 kites in it and this was the average seen when feeding. I have discovered red kites where I live in Sussex not 3 miles from my home and they can be seen in the air over my house so you can expect to see more of them on my posts. |
Awesome. Has to be one of my favourite birds and one I look forward to seeing every year.
ReplyDeleteHi Marc, It is certainly my favourite. It paid for my photography with its sales for more than ten years.
ReplyDeleteHi Mike,
ReplyDeleteI thought I was doing well with the numbers I was seeing,but Wow , you most certainly were in amongst a mass of birds, wonderful images of this superb bird.
All the best,
John
Thankyou John, I was fortuneate then, but now I need a bit of strength to boost my fortune. Good luck,
DeleteMike.
I remember that when I visited the UK many years ago virtually the only place to be certain of seeing Red Kites was at a site in Wales where carrion was laid out for them. During visits in recent years I have had no trouble locating them in several different regions of the country. This must surely be a great success story. And it is a wonderful bird.
ReplyDeleteGreat friends of mine, the Powells who ran the farm and over a number of years I worked the area and made many friends. My age stops me visiting now but I have many fond memories and photos. Eithel Powell who died a few years ago should have been recognised for the work he did and achieved.
DeleteWonderful images, Mike, of probably my favourite raptor. Their flight is so masterfully and elegantly executed - a joy to watch!
ReplyDeleteThankyou Richard. It has been my favourite bird for many years. I am delighted I now have them close by to my home.
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