Kite Surfing
View allAll Photos Tagged Kites
Met this gentleman flying his kite whilst walking the hill, and he happily asked me "what else is retirement for?" Left me a little speechless, because I guess its true. So now, when I retire, I want to fly a kite too. Only, mines going to have stripes and two strings.
At one time confined to Wales as a result of persecution, a reintroduction scheme has brought red kites back to many parts of England and Scotland. Central Wales, central England - especially the Chilterns, central Scotland - at Argaty and along the Galloway Kite Trail are the best areas to find them.
In 1989, six Swedish birds were released at a site in north Scotland and four Swedish and one Welsh bird in Buckinghamshire. Altogether, 93 birds of Swedish and Spanish origin were released at each of the sites, with the last birds released in 1993 in Scotland and 1994 in England.
The first successful breeding was recorded at both sites in 1992, and two years later kites reared in the wild themselves reared young for the first time. Successful breeding populations have become established in both locations.
These early successes justified the next stages of the programme with the aim to produce five self-sustaining breeding populations of red kites in Britain by year 2000. The eventual aim is to ensure that the red kite breeding population expands to colonise all suitable habitat throughout the UK.
Taken at Bwlch Nant yr Arian Forest Mid Wales.
I wanted to capture an image of a Kite in the Landscape and I was lucky that this one landed against a dramatic backdrop of some winter trees in the distance.
Although I took this image in wiltshire I saw a kite less than a mile from my home yesterday in Devon and hopefully they wii soon be a more regular sight in my part of the world.
Saw three of these lovely birds flying together last week and was very happy to capture a few low flying images.
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Elanio Común, Black-winged Kite, Elanus caeruleus.
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Northern Cape
South Africa
Black Kite, Milvus migrans
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We call them "Black", but in the soft early monring light the colours are quite distinctive.
First summer day 2018, a lot of wind and very cold
But very good kite surf weather ...
Thanks for your visit and comments, I appreciate that very much!
Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit written permission.© all rights reserved.
Regards, Bram (BraCom)
Red Kite - Milvus Milvus
Double click
Persecuted to near extinction in the UK, the Red Kite has made a tremendous comeback thanks to reintroduction programmes and legal protection. Seeing one of these magnificent birds soaring high in the sky is a true delight.
Once a very rare bird that could only be found in Central Wales, the Red Kite has been successfully reintroduced to several areas of the UK and can now be seen in Wales, Yorkshire, the East Midlands and the Chilterns. A large, graceful bird of prey, it soars over woods and open areas, its distinctive shape and 'mewing' calls making it easy to identify. Red Kites were routinely persecuted as hunters of game and domestic animals, but they are in fact scavengers, eating carrion and scraps, and taking only small prey like rabbits.
Red kites were common in Shakespearean London, where they fed on scraps in the streets and collected rags or stole hung-out washing for nest-building materials. Shakespeare even referred to this habit in 'The Winter's Tale' when he wrote: 'When the kite builds, look to lesser linen'. The nest of a red kite is an untidy affair, often built on top of an old Crow's nest. It is lined with sheep's wool and decorated with all kinds of objects like paper, plastic and cloth.
Black-shouldered Kite, Elanus axillaris
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I'm here, trying to catch my dinner, what's your excuse for being in the rain?
I'd had to walk a long way across the paddock to find this Kite.
I'd risked the impending squall, but it swept in quickly.
Snail Kites are one of my favorite hawks. I believe this is a young male who will turn more slate colored as he ages. Females and juvenile males have a beautiful brown pattern but the adult males, are striking with bright red eyes that pop against their dark feathers. In this image, I like seeing the curved wing tips and the beak, perfectly adapted to extract snail from their shell, emphasized against the blue. sky. As always, feel free to chime in if you have knowledge to share. (Rostrhamus sociabilis) (Sony a9iii, 200-600 lens @ 500mm, f/6.3, 1/3200 second, ISO 800).
(Milvus milvus) I was really thrilled to be able to photograph this wild leucistic red kite on a recent trip to Mid Wales. Apparently it is a youngster and started appearing at the farm around December time. There are only about 10 of these birds known in the world and three of them have been seen at Gigrin Farm! Leucism is an animal condition in which there is partial loss of pigmentation resulting in white, pale, or patchy coloration of feathers, skin or hair. It is not albinism as they lack the red/pink eyes of a true albino.
Black-shouldered Kite, Elanus axillaris
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We had a sunny cloudless morning and I want to check on a pair of Kites that we recently located.
By the time I was on the ground, it was cold, windy and overcast.
White Kite on White background
Black-shouldered Kite, Elanus axillaris
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A few weeks back I put up some shots from a nesting pair. They had set up a nest in the top of a dead tree, in the open. Most unusual.
A week or so later after some large storms, rain and wind, we checked and the nest was no longer in use. The adults were still around, but not attending the nest.
Conclusion: They lost the clutch.
Wrong! This morning we found them working with three very active young.
Determanation is built into Black-shouldered Kite dna.