Goodness Grays!

The Llanddeusant Red Kite Feeding Station is along the valley from Garn Goch and is a wonderful place to watch these majestic birds of prey. Feeding time is at 3 pm in the summer months, but it seems one should turn up at about 2:30 pm as the birds fill the sky in the knowledge of what's to come!

The red kites normally swoop down on moving prey, but these feeding stations provide chunks of lamb and beef on the ground. So the birds need to look out for other birds on the grass to be aware that there is food to be had. Then the red kites swoop down, scare the crows out of the way, and attempt to grab a piece of meat. They are very quick indeed so I took many photos, the vast majority of which had the birds out of focus!

In the photo below you can see the chaos amongst the crows and a rather nonchalant pigeon which didn't do much all the time we were there. Look closely and you will see two buzzards, shown more clearly in the next set of photos.

The buzzards are heavier set birds with a much more muscular look and thick-set legs. Unlike the red kites, buzzards do not swoop down to catch their food and take it away into the trees. Buzzards come down to land and eat the meat while still on the ground. In fact, a buzzard with meat in its claws seems to become oblivious to everything else and keeps pecking away until the food is gone. Only then do they fly away.

We watched these birds in a hide set up by the local farmer. As we were the only ones left after almost one hour, he came to talk to us and tell us he was shutting up the place. All the birds seemed to have gone but he said to stand at the back of the hide so the birds would think we'd left, and then after four minutes the birds would reappear. And they did! He has been watching them for years now, so he knows their habits.

I have decided to show a lot of photos of the red kites here because they were such beautiful skilful flyers and they deserve our attention.