Once all but extinct in the United Kingdom, the red kite was JUST two breeding pairs AWAY from being eradicated. Now, after a series of sustained reintroduction programmes, Northamptonshire finds itself among the ‘go to’ places to witness this beautiful bird of prey.
This is a selection of red kite photographs, I’ve captured, almost exclusively in and around my home village.
I consider myself extremely fortunate to live in an area of the country that has a sizeable (and growing) red kite (scientific name Milvus Milvus) population; it’s not uncommon to see more than a dozen red kites over home at the same time. Of course, many of them will be soaring on high, or at least high enough to render them ‘uninteresting’ photographically.
The fact we’re able to enjoy them at all is thanks in no small part to a hugely successful reintroduction programme. A native of the United Kingdom for centuries, the red kite was considered a competitor for countryside produce in Tudor times with bounties offered for their carcasses.
As such, by the 1930s, the entire UK population was reduced to just two breeding pairs in South Wales. Since 1989, a number of birds have been released across various parts of the UK. The most relevant of these introductions for us in Northamptonshire came in 2000 when 30 Spanish red kites were released into Rockingham Forest. A decade on, the RSPB estimated that more than 200 chicks had been reared from the initial 30. So successful has the reintroduction been that Northamptonshire is now actually exporting red kite chicks to other regions of the UK.
Red Kite Behaviour
Despite their size, it is extremely rare to see red kites flying overhead carrying live prey they’ve caught themselves. They love carrion, though competition for this is high these days, and you’re more likely to see them clutching chicken bones that have been discarded or even dog biscuits! During nest-building times, they can be quite ambitious with some of the branches they attempt to retrieve!
As a general rule, they seem to prefer to fly lower on particularly blustery days, and they are surprisingly agile when they need to be. They love to chase one another and often find themselves in ridiculous positions mid-air when taking evasive action. You’ll also see them getting plenty of unwanted attention from crow/jackdaw/rook and raven types.
Capturing red kite photographs has become a bit of an obsession, particularly during the COVID-19 lockdown, where I’ve had a lot more time to take in their activities than normal. I hope you like some of the results!
Red Kite Prints
You can find a wider selection of my red kite photographs in my Red Kite – Milvus Milvus gallery. Prints are available and will be produced by Loxley Colour.
Karl Drage is a professional Northamptonshire-based photographer who also covers surrounding counties such as Leicestershire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Rutland, Oxfordshire & Warwickshire. If you are looking for an equine photographer in the towns of Northampton, Kettering, Wellingborough, Oundle, Corby, Peterborough, Leicester, Huntingdon, Towcester, Rugby, Daventry, Oakham or nearby, please use one of the methods on the Contact Us page to get in touch.
