From my records it's starting to look like the Red Kite is absent from the Peak District for several months during the winter. My last sighting in 2021 was on the 26th September and I saw my first bird this year on 25th January. In 2020 my last sighting was at the end of August with no further sightings until 3rd February 2021. Just a dozen miles away at Carsington Water sightings look to continue through the winter so it is perhaps a very localised movement away from the Peak District presumably related to the availability of food.
Today I watched a pair displaying which, compared to some birds of prey, was a rather tame affair with the birds high circling and occasionally passing close to each other and periodically chasing whilst dropping in to the trees. Several times during the circling one of the birds was carrying a small branch, once it its talons and once in its bill.
Still a scarce bird locally each year I expect the numbers to increase but it has been slow progress so far.
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| Red Kite |
We have seen a few individual kites in recent days over Peak Village reserve, but today 12th March there were three together
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