There have been a fair few raptor sightings around the reserve lately, so this week’s sightings blog is a bit of a raptor feature.
Firstly have been the red kites – for several days last week and the week before, we had sightings of one or two of these large and graceful birds scouting for prey above the visitor centre and the surrounding fields. The first warning of their arrival comes when every other bird in the vicinity scatters for cover! They used to be numerous all over the country, and were even considered pests of towns and cities in the same way feral pigeons are today, but were persecuted to the brink of extinction. Red Kites were saved from national extinction in Great Britain due to the efforts of one of the world’s longest running reintroduction programmes, and can now be seen over much of the country once more.
Red kite image by Steve Knell (rspb-images.com)
They are unmistakable due to their large size (a bit bigger than a buzzard), their beautiful rich reddish-brown colouring, and their distinctly forked tails. You can see them in the countryside as well as in towns, where they scavenge for carrion, worms, and occasionally small mammals.
The next familiar visitor has been the kestrel – these distinctive small falcons can often be seen hovering over grassy verges by motorways, where their small mammal prey like voles and mice are abundant. Kestrel numbers have plummeted in the past few decades, which is thought to be due to changes in farming practice. Intensification of farming has meant that there is less food for them, and therefore less suitable habitat. Nestboxes placed in suitable areas have helped them to recover in some areas, as they provide good spots for breeding. There are few lovelier sights than a kestrel suspended in mid air, head and eyes completely motionless whilst the beating of its wings holds it in place.
Kestrel image by Mike Langman (rspb-images.com)
Lastly is the sparrowhawk. These stunning slate-grey birds are often just a blur as they tear through the air in pursuit of small garden birds. Sparrowhawks are specially adapted to hunt in confined spaces like dense woodland, so gardens make ideal hunting grounds for them. You may be lucky enough to see one eating in your garden after it’s made a catch – pigeons are a particular favourite. We often have concerned visitors saying that their garden birds have disappeared after a sparrowhawk visit, but there’s no cause for alarm – the fact that a sparrowhawk is there at all means a garden bird population is doing really well! The females are larger than the males – both have grey backs and bright yellow eyes, but males have a reddish-chestnut breast whereas the females are barred white and brown.
Sparrowhawk image by Ben Hall (rspb-images.com)