Sometimes they hit the ground

At Talsarn recently Susanna witnessed at close range a kite flying into the ground at feeding time and stunning itself. It hit breast first fortunately so after a rest it recovered enough to fly off strongly so nothing broken. Susanna said it was the first ever in 15 years to misjudge the slope of the field and no, it wasn't the one-eyed one!

Kite watchers meeting Feb 26th

Tony reading his script to a rapt audience...no it was good really! Watchers met in the convivial surroundings of the Elan Valley Hotel and were kept up to date with the Trust and all its workings. Contributions from guest speakers included Steve Roberts on Honey Buzzards, always fascinating to hear plus this year he had a first class video courtesy of the BBC;those chicks are so attractive even when eating frogs' legs! Paddy Jenks also added some insights into Kestrel breeding and drew on new data from radio-tagging showing that kestrels don't even put the brakes on for improved pasture,flying straight on to any patch of tussocky grassland which unfortunately is still disappearing fast.
Other short talks were given by Leo Smith our expert in Shropshire reporting on the success of Welsh kites in England, and Chairman Mike Hayward keeping us abreast of the technicalities involved with DNA testing.
Fortunately the Welsh Kite Trust has the backing of a loyal membership and keen watchers so we can look forward to another year of caring for kites and increasingly,to monitoring other birds such as kestrels,barn owls and peregrines which are all struggling to survive intensive agriculture, rodenticides and declining prey species.

Blind in one eye but still flying White 6

Start off with my best side! This bird has been a regular at Susanna's feeding station at Talsarn and although missing a wing feather or two seems to be holding its own against the other 200 plus kites that visit. What is its history Tony? Male or female?

Aberhosan Kite Roost

At 7.45am today there was a simultaneous 'eruption' of 25 kites from the occasional roost opposite my home near Aberhosan, Machynlleth. What a privilege to see this spectacle from my bed!

New Season

Get your kit organised kitewatchers!. My closest nest has activity there. The pair have been around for the last three days, and this a.m. I saw the male at his normal perching branch during the season, and wondered where the female was. Lo and behold she was on the nest, not only tidying up some twigs, but actually sitting. I checked again in an hour, and at this moment she is still sitting. Could be an early season?

Meagre pickings at the kite count and where are all the tagged birds?

This weekend saw our second attempt at the Europe-wide co-ordinated winter census of Red Kites. Most other countries do their counts at communal roosts but since most of our birds roost in fairly small dispersed groups it is more realistic to have a co-ordinated count of all the main feeding stations. This time last winter, in a period of freezing weather, we managed a count of 1189 - 1326 birds. This year the mild weather meant that numbers attending the feeding stations were much lower and the total at the 6 main feeding stations was only 645 birds. The count at Nant-yr-Arian was due to thick fog rather than a near complete lack of birds! This serves to tell us only one thing, Welsh kites clearly aren't dependent on feeding stations!

Results as follows:

Name	2011	2012	Observer
Gigrin Farm	485-550	250-300	Tony Cross
Talsarn	250-300	200	Liz & Brian Snell
Nant-yr-Arian	120	1	Red Liford
Llanddeusant	58	40	John Roberts
Bow Street	115	92	Mike Hayward
Crymych	45	42	Paddy Jenks
Myddfai	NC	20
TOTAL	1189-1326	645-695

Many thanks to all the observers who gave their time to undertake counts. The Welsh population is currently estimated at in excess of 3,000 birds so this winter's count represents only about 20% of the population. In future winters, counts will only be carried out during a period of prolonged cold weather.

Since tagging was re-started in 2002 we have wing-tagged over 2,000 young Red Kites - where the hell have they all gone?! I managed to read 11 birds in two days at Gigrin (including 1 Scottish bird), Mike did better at Bow Street with 14 tags read and John Roberts got two at Llanddeusant. I know there were more to be had but despite the huge effort expended every summer most kites nowadays are un-tagged (I can hear the photographers rejoicing from here!)

One of the few tagged kites identified at Gigrin. A 2011 chick from just over the road!

White Kite J6 goes east!

Just had an email and follow-up telephone conversation from Mick Todd a raptor re-habilitator in Lincolnshire who has just taken delivery of Black/White J6. This leucistic kite featured in the last but one post having been released at Gigrin Farm on 19th August. On Friday 9th September it turned up in Freestone near Boston, Lincolnshire (254 kms from where it was released).  It was found uninjured but exhausted and hungrily devouring a dead cat!  Plans are being made to get it back to Wales to be released at some future date.