M40 Red Kites who counts them?

senna916

senna916

Suspended / Banned
Messages
314
Name
Steve
Edit My Images
Yes
While driving down the M40 ( past Oxford towards London) I try to count how many Red Kites I see, today I counted 31, does anyone do the same or is it just me ? :)
 
I try to watch where I`m going.... lol.

There were loads the other weekend though.
 
I always slow down and have a good look, always amazes me when they start 'buzzing' the big wagons !!
 
Please give the registration and description of your car so I can give you a wide berth if I ever see you on the M40

:D
 
Coming back from Brighton on Sunday I counted about 15 - I wasn't driving btw :D
 
Yup, i always do the same
In fact i am terrible for spotting birds of prey whilst driving, I am a careful driver but can spot a perched buzzard at 70mph :nono: :eek:
 
Yep, me too. I also have a record of 31 - it was a lovely sunny day and they were everywhere from somewhere around Wycomb all the way to nearly Banbury. I am on the bike and rarely have my eyes on the road - not both anyway, drive by peripheral!
 
Isn't it that there was a breeding programme down that there way a while back?

My mate lives north of Abergavenny, and that's what he was telling me. He's really intelligent, has lots of books, and knows how to spell and everything, so he must be right.

It certainly is a joy when visiting to see the red kites, though he appears reluctant in conversation to give me £2000 for a half-decent lens with which to photograph them, for some reason.
 
Yep, always loads here:thumbs: I live 5 mins off Junction 6 so if anyone ever passing give me a shout and come and have a cup of tea etc. (if I am in!) always loads here, counted at least 50 here last night having a feed of some nice pigeons etc.
 
I do too...in fact I try to make a point of getting off at the Stokenchurch junction and taking a drive to the ridge just to see them soaring.
 
The Matt said:
Please give the registration and description of your car so I can give you a wide berth if I ever see you on the M40

:D
Click to expand...

I was the passenger, if I had been driving we would have been using all 3 lanes plus the hard shoulder :)

Natalie_B said:
Yup, i always do the same
In fact i am terrible for spotting birds of prey whilst driving, I am a careful driver but can spot a perched buzzard at 70mph :nono: :eek:
Click to expand...

Same here, the person I was with yesterday could not believe how many different birds I spotted, we even saw a Tawney Owl, Munchak deer and quite a few Buzzards on the way back from Portsmouth.

Briony said:
Yep, always loads here:thumbs: I live 5 mins off Junction 6 so if anyone ever passing give me a shout and come and have a cup of tea etc. (if I am in!) always loads here, counted at least 50 here last night having a feed of some nice pigeons etc.
Click to expand...

Would love to :) Just after J6 is the steep hill up towards Stokenchurch where I always spot loads. I had my camera with me yesterday just in case but the weather was to bad, when we came back up the M40 on Sunday there were loads of photo opportunities but camera was in the boot :(
 
I moved that way recently and it's nice to sit in the back garden watching them skim around the rooftops.
 
Briony said:
Yep, always loads here:thumbs: I live 5 mins off Junction 6 so if anyone ever passing give me a shout and come and have a cup of tea etc. (if I am in!) always loads here, counted at least 50 here last night having a feed of some nice pigeons etc.
Click to expand...

We could do with some around here then as we're inundated with pigeons.

As long as they don't take our Papillons!
 
I don't use the M40 but over here we have the A605 which I travel twice daily, and always count the red kites.

last week there were 12 in one journey only, the return journey was a little too dark.

As mentioned earlier, its surprising how as a Driver I can spot more birds, deer, fox etc than the passenger sat next to me. :D
 
When come back from west London now I use the M40/M1, get off for Stokenchurch and spend time on the side roads, I once got talking to a lady with a dog (mostly local) and asked the best place to photograph red kites, she said my garden, follow me, she lived in a very large house, sat me at the side of the swimming pool, put bacon and mince on the lawn, and made me a cup of tea, I look for her when i`m down that way now..... by the way, my photo`s were crap
 
I love seeing birds of prey but maybe totally blonde statement but I wanna say it even just for a giggle but ... how do you know that your counting a different bird? LOL Surely it'd be classed as a spotting rather than how many you saw?

It's great that there does seem to be an increase in them and that their breeding.
 
CaptainPenguin said:
Glad its not just me I just thought I was saddo of the year
Click to expand...

I can see where your coming from, I think I need to get a T shirt printed.


SlinkyG said:
I love seeing birds of prey but maybe totally blonde statement but I wanna say it even just for a giggle but ... how do you know that your counting a different bird? LOL Surely it'd be classed as a spotting rather than how many you saw?

It's great that there does seem to be an increase in them and that their breeding.
Click to expand...

Cancel the T shirt, I'll get a anorak :)
 
Hello everyone. You may be interested to know that the red kites are still monitored in the Chilterns and elsewhere. They were reintroduced beginning in 1989.

Although they have a large wingspan, they are not physically strong, and rarely take anything larger than small mammals, as they struggle with their lack of strenghth. They are primarily scanvengers, although they do occasionally take live prey especially during the nesting season, usually mice/voles etc. Worms and other invertebrates also feature in their diet.

They are most likely to be seen between junctions 3 and 6 of the M40, which runs through the core reintroduction area, hence the large numbers most people usually see. Hope this helps
 
Last edited:
HelenOl said:
Hello everyone. You may be interested to know that the red kites are still monitored in the Chilterns and elsewhere. They were reintroduced beginning in 1989.

Although they have a large wingspan, they are not physically strong, and rarely take anything larger than small mammals, as they struggle with their lack of strenghth. They are primarily scanvengers, although they do occasionally take live prey especially during the nesting season, usually mice/voles etc. Worms and other invertebrates also feature in their diet.

They are most likely to be seen between junctions 3 and 6 of the M40, which runs through the core reintroduction area, hence the large numbers most people usually see. Hope this helps
Click to expand...

I have just been reading that the same number were introduced in the Black Isle north of Inverness in 1989.
Chilterns now have around 350 breeding pairs, but Black Isle has only 41 breedings pairs (and some people who do them harm).
 
Arclight - It is difficult to get an exact figure these days, but 2009 estimates are in the region of 500-600+ breeding pairs in the Chilterns and surrounding areas, where they have been dispersing.
 
HelenOl said:
Arclight - It is difficult to get an exact figure these days, but 2009 estimates are in the region of 500-600+ breeding pairs in the Chilterns and surrounding areas, where they have been dispersing.
Click to expand...

That's tremendous:thumbs:
 
arclight said:
(and some people who do them harm).
Click to expand...
Last summer I was talking to a local Wildlife trust officer in our area (where I also signed up :thumbs: ) and he was saying then that there was an increase in suspicious kite deaths in the area. It has since been on the news and is currently being investigated.

Local land owners and farmers were being blamed for believing that the kites were killing livestock. Unfortunately people need to be educated to the fact that kites are scavengers and not hunters, any livestock they eat has died through other means.
 
Last edited:
AndrewA123 said:
Last summer I was talking to a local Wildlife trust officer in our area (where I also signed up :thumbs: ) and he was saying then that there was an increase in suspicious kite deaths in the area. It has since been on the news and is currently being investigated.

Local land owners and farmers were being blamed for believing that the kites were killing livestock. Unfortunately people need to be educated to the fact that kites are scavengers and not hunters, any livestock they eat has died through other means.
Click to expand...

Yes, there is a dreadfull level of ignorance about them.

Primarily scavengers, but rely on other birds etc to open up a carcase for them.
They will also take worms, insects and small birds and mammals.
Kites do not have good lifting power. Large bird that does not weigh a lot.
 
HelenOl said:
Hello everyone. You may be interested to know that the red kites are still monitored in the Chilterns and elsewhere. They were reintroduced beginning in 1989.

Although they have a large wingspan, they are not physically strong, and rarely take anything larger than small mammals, as they struggle with their lack of strenghth. They are primarily scanvengers, although they do occasionally take live prey especially during the nesting season, usually mice/voles etc. Worms and other invertebrates also feature in their diet.

They are most likely to be seen between junctions 3 and 6 of the M40, which runs through the core reintroduction area, hence the large numbers most people usually see. Hope this helps
Click to expand...

regularly frequent Briony's farm as soon as she whistles :lol:
 
bit of a thread dreadge but we played this game today, i never knew there was soooooooooo many along there.. we must of counted at least 15 each way from the reading junction to the oxford junctions..
 
Thread revival :) counted 40+ today, I'm just waiting for a nice sunny day and I'm off to Gigrin Farm :))
 
Ha ha we counted excess of 60 the other day just flying around the farm and that is not many, by any standards, Gigrin, who need Gigrin ? :lol:
 
Briony said:
Ha ha we counted excess of 60 the other day just flying around the farm and that is not many, by any standards, Gigrin, who need Gigrin ? :lol:
Click to expand...

60 wow :) if I lived round there I need a neck brace within a week :)
 
Normally they seem to be spread of an area of a few miles, a few days ago coming back down and was thinking where are they, as told mate i was in car with about them.
A bit further on and there must have been 30 of them circling a small area. think i may have to take camera with me and stop on way up or back now, see what i can get some photos of.
 
senna916 said:
... I'm just waiting for a nice sunny day and I'm off to Gigrin Farm :))
Click to expand...

Gigrin's nice but Nant-yr-arian is free... And it's only 15 minutes from my front door!

The kites have been getting quite brave recently. They've even been venturing into town a fair bit! :)
 
Myky D said:
My mate lives north of Abergavenny, and that's what he was telling me. He's really intelligent, has lots of books, and knows how to spell and everything, so he must be right.
Click to expand...


:lol:
 
I've had them flying over me a few times lately, and am hoping for a pair to nest soon. I've got two buzzard nests. But Kites are so much more beautiful to watch.
 
Stopped off at junction 6 earlier, headed towards watlington, but stopped about 100m away from motorway, where lots of cars were parked. Went into a field, as I walked the edge a Red Kite which was perched on a branch took off, missed that one. Worked out that they were working in a circle as would disappear from view for a bit then reappear behind me.
One got too close to a crows nest, as it started dive bombing the kite to move it away, got some images, will post if any good.
May go back tomorrow, as have a better idea now.
 
Stopped off earlier. If anybody wants to take a camera, just head to Watlington, must have been 40 around the town.
Found some diving at pigeons on a field, but best was to park in carpark in centre, could do with longer lens though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top