Red Kites Nest Building

On Wednesday I went out into the woods to see if I could work out where the Red Kites were likely to nest. Previously, I had seen the courtship flight and a pair of the kites get together. Also Last year I discovered a nest that had partly fallen out of the tree while being built. You have to remember that as reintroduced birds, they don't have the skills garnered by observation of other breeding pairs, and the birds are quite young. I was told by the head of the Northern Kites Project of one pair that tried to build a nest on the ground in the first year they breed.

Thus, I started looking around the location of that previous nest site. Because of the thinning work in the wood and the high winds that have battered the area over the winter, there are plenty of twiggy branches on the ground. However, I was not prepared for what I saw next, at a distance of about one hundred and fifty yards, a Red Kite came majestically swooping out of the sky and picked up one of these. I had not seen the bird coming nor could I through the maelstrom of branches see where the bird went.

So I decided to set up the camera and see if the bird would come back and if I could film this collection of nesting material. I found what I thought was a discreet spot and set up and waited. I got brief glimpses of the Kite as He or She glided overhead, but no more collection occurred.
While waiting I was tantalised by the brief sighting of the Goshawk who appears to have returned, this one was carrying a wood pigeon. Again I hope to locate the nest site latter. But for now I was more concerned with the Kites.

After a couple of hours waiting, I heard behind me a sound, as I looked round I saw the Kite rising with another branch in its talons. This time I was at least able to move quickly to see what direction it went off in.

I waited for a long time, until the light started to fade but no return did the Kite make that day.