There has been a news item on BBC Oxfordshire about Kites bothering young children and flying off with full sized poultry.I was unable to get the link to post but I found it through the Bird Forum Birds of Prey thread if anyone can get the link up.I looks like a lot more bad PR for our raptor friends again.If anyone con find the item and post a link it could lead to an interesting discussion,sorry I could not manage to do it.
Pete
Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-13614326
There you go Seaman
Shane
Regards Shane
My Photos in Flickr.
Cheers Shane plenty of room for discussion there.
Yes, this was reported in the online Telegraph this morning here. Same old story. as soon as something like this happens there's a campaign for a cull. The incident might be due to the kites becoming acclimatised to humans because of artificial feeding.
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Tony
My Flickr Photostream
Hi
I would give my right arm for such a close experience, not literally of course I doubt the kite to carry it off anyway, but your right TJ about any excuse for a cull its out fault they have become so used to us feeding them. Its the same as pigeons in London and Gull down at the coast.
I find the bit about them swooping down and dashing off with full sized farm yard poultry which may weigh in at what ? about 3 0r 4 pound,I think not.
Unknown said:The incident might be due to the kites becoming acclimatised to humans because of artificial feeding.
That's exactly the reason!!!!
When you read the article they have been feeding them leftovers.......
As to the mature chicken pff pure get on the bandwagon(get orf moi landd)t.... too big, althought must admit was surprised to see the rabbit brought to nest on springwatch
It doesn't help though when you get posts on birding specific forums of watching a kite try and take a heron.....
It's both what you do and the way that you do it!
You cannot fly like an eagle with the wings of a wren. William Henry Hudson (1841 - 1922)
Well there can be no doubt about they cannot be allowed to take poultry after the rumpus of most of general public wanting poultry kept on free range,especially as Red Kites are mostly a reintroduction fed to increase numbers artificially in Wales.
Wendy S said:I find the bit about them swooping down and dashing off with full sized farm yard poultry which may weigh in at what ? about 3 0r 4 pound,I think not.
Hi Seaman
I tend to agree with you.
Chris Packham on Springwatch said they are quite lightweight birds. I was surprised they could manage to catch and carry a rabbit.
However, the general consensus now seems to be that feeding them has caused some of them to have no fear of humans and they have been seen swooping down towards humans with sources of food. So despite the fact that we all love to see them close up, it seems that we now need to be trained to not feed them.
Best wishes Chris
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Agree the poultry story seems a bit unlikely but if true about having a try at taking a Heron it makes you wonder or was it just playing.
Well I have had a bantam nearly taken by a harrier that mistook her for a hen pheasant - it managed to partial pluck her -so I would not think it would be past a kite to have a go. My friends response to loosing two large hens to a BOP was pragmatic and sensible - she got a bantam cockerel and he does a fantastic job of looking after his 4 big ladies.
Caroline in Jersey
Cin J