Red kites in the garden

There have been a pair of red kites hanging around for a few weeks now, but mostly sitting in a tree a few houses away from us. They have been in our garden today though. I could hear them calling close by, so went out to see if I could see them and one was sat in the maple tree at the end of our garden. He flew off when he saw me, but landed again in a tree next door. The pair of them have been calling for most of the morning and seem to be here a lot. How exciting would it be if they nested in one of our trees in the spring!

#100DaysOfNature Day 69

Interesting facts about red kites:

• They were extinct in England for over 100 years
• They were re-introduced to the Chilterns 25 years ago
• There are now thought to be over 1000 breeding pairs in the Chilterns and eggs/young birds have been taken from the Chilterns to start re-introduction programs elsewhere in the country
• They scavenge most of their food, but will kill chicks, rabbits and invertebrates (worms and beetles)
• They make a nest out of large sticks and twigs, but line it with all sorts of strange things such as socks, kitchen paper, baler twine, plastic bags and anything else they can pick up