Attacked by what or whom, David? Such a dangerous country these days.
My tick of a Kite (then the name) in 1965 was of a single bird in Wales while I was motoring around the UK with a pair of binoculars and
A Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe, Peterson, Mountfort and Hollom, 1964 edition. As a matter of historical interest I set out below the range information.
No chatlines, computers or digital cameras in those days, and nowhere near as many bird books. Not so many birdwatchers, either.
While I have the floor, I shall inflict a couple of recent WOTSITS, blackandwhited in the fashion of the 1960s. Not Kites.
From: David Rees <>
Sent: Thursday, 20 December 2018 5:46 PM
To: Martin Butterfield <>
Cc: Philip Veerman <>; mariko buszynski <>; calyptorhynchus <>; Canberra Birds <>
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Black Kite Hughes Oval
A spectacular sight those places in rural Wales where they have always been resident. The re-introduced birds in southern England have done so well that if one was to do the same sort of feeding there you would get similar results. Local
rubbish dumps do give a free display!! Unlike in Wales where they are still very rural, In England they now commonly float over the centres of big towns such as Reading and Oxford looking for opportunities, as they did in Shakespears' time. They seem to
not to need remote places to breed and I have seen nests build very close to pre-existing suburbs, usually high in a big Oak tree. People have been attacked trying to feed them and I know of places where you are warned not to try as a result. From experience
the birds follow you/ check you out just in case and a picnic might be problematic. Plenty of bad video on Youtube of local lads tempting them etc...
On Thu, Dec 20, 2018 at 4:50 PM Martin Butterfield <> wrote:
When we went to see one of the Red Kite feeding sites in Wales a couple of Common Buzzards joined in the frenzy generated by about 200 Red Kites..
On Thu, 20 Dec 2018 at 16:41, David Rees <> wrote:
For what its worth the bigger relative of the Black Kite, the European Red Kite (Milvus milvus) in southern England (where it is now common in places) is rarely mobbed by other birds as they float conspicuously about, see https://flic.kr/s/aHsmkPkozG,
except sometimes by the same said Carrion Crows. Reason in that case probably is competition for food, e.g. mice and 'tit-bits' around rubbish dumps and outdoor pig farms, which attract both species, as do Motorway service areas, with their take-away joints
and attendant rubbish. You often see Red Kites floating about with Common Buzzards - which generally go for bigger prey such as rabbits.
