Where Red Kites Feed
Whilst on holiday in mid Wales at the end
of September, we visited the best known of the Red Kite Feeding
Stations. From our base at Aberdovey, it was a pleasant drive of
just over 50 miles along the Dyfi and Wye valleys below the
Cambrian mountains to the town of Rhayader, in the middle of Kite
Country. Our destination, Gigrin Farm is about half a mile south
of Rhayader and is well signposted.
Gigrin Farm is a family-run upland sheep
farm of around 200 acres. In 1994, when the Kite Country Project,
an RSPB-led initiative, was set up to create public awareness of
the magnificent Red Kites and to promote ‘green’
tourism in mid Wales, Gigrin Farm was invited to become the first
Kite Country Feeding Station. There are now large hides for
viewing the kite feeding spectacle, plus an interpretation centre
giving information on Red Kites and other local wildlife, as well
as a shop, toilets and a nature trail.
Feeding at Gigrin Farm takes place daily at
14.00 hours GMT (birds don’t realise that we put our clocks
on during the summer months!). On our arrival at the farm over
one hour before the scheduled feeding time, there were already
many Corvids gathering in the fields, a Buzzard sitting in a tree
and two Red Kites soaring above. By the time we were ready to
walk down to the hides we could sense, from the noise of their
calls, that the birds were feeling the excited anticipation that
we were experiencing.
Promptly at 3 pm BST, accompanied by one of
his sheep dogs, the farmer drove his tractor and trailer filled
with food (beef fit for human consumption from local abattoirs)
into the field in front of the hides and scattered the food on
the ground, some quite close to the hides.
Carrion Crows were the first birds to come
to the food, joining the farmer’s sheep dog which took the
opportunity of having a quick feed before being called away!
Other Corvids arrived, including lots of Jackdaws, several Ravens
and a few Rooks and Magpies, making a total of several hundred on
the ground eating the meat. The Red Kites had a different way of
feeding, swooping down to grab the food from the ground whilst
still on the wing or mobbing the Corvids when they flew away with
food in their talons. Buzzards seemed to be more timid and
although up to six were soaring in the sky and sitting on trees,
they waited to come down to feed until many of the Corvids had
left.
We then had wonderful views of two Buzzards
close to the hides, one feeding on the ground and another on a
fence post. Magpies also were pushed out to the edges until their
larger relatives had fed. In fact it was interesting to see the
difference in size between the large Ravens and the much smaller
Magpies and Jackdaws. The food furthest from the hides was eaten
first, as though the birds knew there were people in them but
eventually after about an hour when most of the food was gone,
the meat nearest the hides was eaten. This gave us even better
views than earlier, particularly of Red Kites which had left and
returned again – or maybe birds from further afield had
arrived late! There were still birds around the farm as we left
at 5 pm after an excellent visit to the Gigrin Farm Red Kite
Feeding Station.
Although we were thrilled to watch over 20
Red Kites at the feeding station, we were told that in the colder
weather during the winter months over 60 kites can be seen at
Gigrin Farm. This is quite a high proportion of the 200+ pairs of
Red Kites which now breed in Wales, the species having fought
back from being on the brink of extinction when there were just a
few pairs in the remote valleys of mid Wales.
Red Kites were once a common sight in towns
throughout the UK but in the 16th century, they were
declared as vermin. A series of Government Acts led to kites
being killed and by the end of the 18th century, Red
Kites were extinct in England. They suffered a similar fate in
Scotland. Their survival in mid Wales was due to the protection
given over the past 100 years by committed landowners, rural
communities and dedicated individuals and in more recent times by
organisations such as the RSPB.
There have been Red Kite
re-introductions in recent years, firstly in Scotland and then
England, using birds from Sweden and Spain. We saw the
distinctive forked tail of a Red Kite soaring in the sky as we
were driving just north of Inverness in June this year. However,
only the Welsh
Kites
represent the remnants of the native British population, which at
the present time is increasing slowly. Although for many birders
it is more satisfying to come across Red Kites unexpectedly in
more natural situations, to be guaranteed to see these raptors
and other carrion eaters at such close quarters is an experience
to be savoured. The sheer size of the Red Kite with a wingspan of
almost 2 metres, combined with its striking colour and agility,
make it an unforgettable sight, particularly at close range.
Although we personally would
not want to travel to mid Wales just for the day as it would
involve a round trip of about 300 miles, some members might like
to do this. Bolton RSPB Members Group have a coach trip to Gigrin
Farm on Saturday, 17th February 2001, leaving Bolton
at 7 am and there may be places available – contact Eric
Howarth on 01204 882450 for further details if you are
interested.
Gigrin Farm is just one of the Kite Country
Centres where feeding takes place, although some feed only during
the winter months. Further information on Red Kites can be
obtained from the websites www.kitecountry.co.uk and www.gigrin.co.uk and
from the Mid-Wales Tourist Board.
Ken & Joyce Riley