Red Kite Behaviour

Overnight there was a dusting of snow and while it was very windy during the night, the sky this morning was clear blue and bright. I was looking out over the back of the house and just wondering if I would see one of the Red Kites when I spotted one in the distance. So far this year there have only been two days when I have not seen them. It is a real measure of just how successful the reintroduction of these magnificent birds has been that I can expect to see at least one of the Kites every day.

Yesterday, as I am still busy getting the new computer configured, I was in my office (a posh word for my back bedroom), and looked out to see a Kite gliding just over the roof tops. I was so intent on watching this one that I nearly failed to spot the second that was being mobbed by Jackdaws.

As it is at this time of the year that young birds pair up, it is possible that they are or will become a breeding pair. I don’t think that Kites pair for life, but they will stay as a pair if they were successful in previous years. So they are likely to be a pair. This seems to be the case as they showed some remarkable cooperative behaviour.

The first bird I had seen was unaffected by the harrying Jackdaws so was free to hunt. Once it had found food, it flew to the other Kite and allowed the Jackdaws to hassle it, thus allowing the other Red Kite to go off hunting. I cannot report if the second bird was able to find food, as I lost sight of them. But I would guess that it was. The whole piece of behaviour was quite stunning to see.