Monday 7 January 2013
Gigrin Farm, Rhayader
I called in at Gigrin Farm, Rhayader in Powys today. It's the first time I'd been to this Red Kite feeding station, and what an impressive place it was. I've never seen so many Kites, there were easily 200 in the air at feeding time. The farmer brought his tractor round in front of the hides and spread a load of prime beef for the birds. At first the kites just circled overhead, and seemed too nervous to come down for the food. After a short while, the corvids came in, Crows, Rooks and Ravens and a soon as they landed, it was like the starting gun for a feeding frenzy. Immediately the kites swooped down, some birds picking food directly off the floor, whilst others harassed the corvids, but I didn't see any kites land one the ground. The Buzzards seemed less agile, and were forced to land in order to get the food. Unfortunately it was a very dull day, so I don't have the stunning photos some people get from here, but I do at least have a few which convey the spectacle, if not the detail! 
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Nice photos of Gigrin Farm Colin.
ReplyDeleteI visited there about eleven or twelve years ago and haven't managed to go back since, but it was a fantastic experience to see so many Red Kites in one place. My brother sees them all the time in South Oxfordshire where he lives. I wonder how long it will be before they are a common sight again in Merseyside/South Lancs?
Thanks Simon. I was disappointed with the photo to be honest, it was such a great spectacle and the birds showed so well that I had been hoping for some stunning pictures, but a combination of very poor light and my camera lense streaming up for the first time ever meant that it was never going to happen. I've only ever seen two Red Kites in Merseyside / South Lancs, it's about time we were seeing more.
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