Afternoon,
Saw a bit of Wilts earlier this week thanks to the closure of the M4.
Anyone know what, if any, harriers might currently be down there (or "up there", depending on where you are)?
Dave
Just passed a Harrier this afternoon P B it is the gate guard at R A F Boulmer veteran plane of the Falklands I think
Pete
Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can
Wendy S said:Just passed a Harrier this afternoon P B
I'm guessing that it's Palid, Pete, given the sunshine and the mild weather the UK is experiencing.
Dave
It was a pale. silver colour, would that count
Pete
Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can
Dave Red Kites have done well in the UK since several reintroduction schemes late1990's early 2000's. I have been following and recording our birds in this part of N Yorkshire and despite illegal persecution from some of the game bird industry the numbers are quite remarkable. The general public non birders have taken them to heart probably because they are easy to i d.
Pete
Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can
Wendy S said:Red Kites have done well in the UK
Glad to hear that Pete. To my mind there's almost no bird that's better to see when the wind's up, and they appear to pretty much rule the sky.
Dave
Agree Dave although the Kestrel ruled the roost until recently, the old gamekeepers I knew called them Wind Windhovers'
Pete
Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can
Wendy S said:the old gamekeepers I knew called them Wind Windhovers
That's one of the names used in Walpole-Bond's Bird Life in Wild Wales (1904, I think), which I've been reading on an off for a few years now. A tremendous writer. His obituary is out there on the Internet somewhere and is well worth a read.
He also gives us "forked-tailed kite" (he was writing before eradication and reintroduction), and---of course---yaffle.
The region where we live was home to a famous dynasty of artists, several of whom painted wildlife extensively. Last year we came across some early twentieth century publications in a second-hand shop. In French too the names of birds have changed over the years, the various waggies being an interesting example.
I share your admiration of kestrels Pete, but personally my heart soars every time I see a Red Kite grab a wing-full of air, in that reaching gesture they make occasionally. And I forget that I have to take the rubbish out and call the tax and...
But talking of winds, perhaps there's a (smaller) bird that outdoes Red Kites and kestrels? The Crag Martin. Less flight. More teleportation. I first noticed them at Ventas, north of Malaga, some years ago, and almost couldn't believe what they are capable of in the wind. Stunt Birds, flying on wires.