Just flying my kite...

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

Frame grabs from a video shot in my garden. A couple of bits of chicken skin - didn't last long! My cat's a bit nervous... 

 

 

 

 

[Andrew]

Beats blue tits and peanuts any day! Superb!

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Wow, excellent stuff MOTCO.

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

Thanks chaps! 

[ajpearson]

Is it actually yours or a wild one ?

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

It, or they, are wild inasmuch as they live around the Chilterns. They aren't strictly native but were re-introduced in the 1980s I think. Red Kites were native but were killed off by farmers and gamekeepers. These are descended from Norwegian birds I seem to recall. They are very common in the Thames Valley, along the M40 by Oxford and Stokenchurch, along the M4 in Berkshire, and here in the Chilterns.

[ajpearson]

I have seen a few out in the wilds, just not sure if you were into falconry etc.

 

They are magnificent creatures, we have an abundance of buzzards around at the moment, but the dogs do not allow them near the garden

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

There are some common buzzards around and they co-exist with the kites quite happily. I am not into falconry, although it is looks fascinating. What is interesting is that the kites are often mobbed by magpies - quite ironic because magpies get flack for being predators themselves. Kites are raptors, but lazy ones and will usually go for carrion rather than actually kill something.

[Norman Verona]

We have lots of raptors around here. I have a few dead birds that have flown into our windows. I suppose if I put them in the middle of a field, set myself up in a corner with a long lens I may get some good pictures.

If only I had time!.

Tractors playing up again, the drive belts keep jumping off. So I decide to leave it and use the ride-on to cut in front of the gites and that cuts out. One of the safety switches seems faulty. I've only got to find out which one. It will go if I wiggle them all.

[DerekJ]

SWMBO and I visit HERE

 

Great to see so many kites feeding. Well worth a visit if you are close or on holiday down here

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

SWMBO and I visit HERE

 

Great to see so many kites feeding. Well worth a visit if you are close or on holiday down here

 

Ah, yes. That was featured on 'Countryfile' I seem to recall. Kites' soup kitchen!

[User0083]

Stunning!

Although here's a video of me and my kite...

[clansman]

Awesome shoots .........not surprised the cat is worried !!!

[User0083]

They are awesome and amazing.

Had wife trying to find out cat last week, could see an owl in the tree, wanted torch to see it. It came out the tree, across our house to another tree...

I asked if she'd found the cat. Could her Hine squeaking away and sounded stuck. There was the cat on the roof... Stuck, owl flying near him. He's now called "Owl Food" and not allowed out past dusk!

Did you have any special camera set up or was it just shots on a chance?

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

I bought a Kodak Zi6 miniature video camera to fit to my roll bar on the car a few years ago. It didn't do that job too well because its shape makes it hard to mount rigidly. However it does shoot at 60fps in 720p HD so I set it up on a tripod near the garden wall where my Good Lady puts the odd scrap out for the birds, and these are individual frames from about 3 minutes of footage. I have some better ones now I have learned the software; I shall put them up later.