Red Kites are big birds of prey. And, around this area of the Chiltern Hills, they're as common as pigeons. To what can we attribute their success? Well, for starters, they're not really hunters like their cousins the buzzard, the sparrowhawk and the kestrel. They're scavengers, which is why you'll see hordes of them following the plough on farmers' fields. Worms are easy pickings. And the recent heavy rains and saturated soil has brought thousands to the surface this past week and the Kites have had a feeding frenzy. There's also the fact that the Thames Valley has more motorway than any other region in the country including the M1, M4, M40 and M25. That's a lot of carrion.
If you want a good view of Red Kites, simply throw a broken up chicken carcase into your garden. It'll take them a while to build up the courage to retrieve it - they're quite cowardly for such a big bird - but once one does it, they'll all come down. I took these photos through my kitchen window about six years ago.
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