Soaring Red Kites and a Supporting Cast - Garden and Broomfield Track 24/04/20

While out in the garden alarm calls from the local gulls alerted me to first one then a while later another 2 Red Kites over the garden which are always a very welcome sight. A Common Buzzard also passed high over the garden and at one point one of the Red Kites and the Buzzard were spiralling upwards high above in the same thermal.

Red Kite

Red Kite and Common Buzzard

House Sparrows were busily collecting food to take back to the nest and a male paused briefly on the fence giving some lovely views in the sunshine.

male House Sparrow

male House Sparrow

The local pair of Herring Gulls were decidedly put out by the arrival of a pair of Lesser Black-backed Gulls who settled on the roof opposite before moving off.

Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Later on in the day I headed out for my exercise walk. An Orange-tip butterfly gave some superb views as it fed amongst the flowers of what I think is a garden escape. I have been lucky this spring to get some lovely views of a beautiful butterfly.

Orange-tip Butterfly

Orange-tip butterfly

Orange-tip butterfly

Orange-tip butterfly

A little further along the smaller of the pair of Little Owls was resting up on its usual perch. It was alert as a dog walker with a pair of barking dogs went past on the footpath but it seemed content to stay where it was. They are always a joy to see.

Little Owl

A pair of Magpie were routing about as I came past the lower paddock and gave some very good views in the sunshine, their feathers with jewelled colours as they caught the light.

Magpie

Magpie

Magpies

As I headed up to the top path a Wood Pigeon peeped out at me from its perch and the air was full of Skylark song.

Wood Pigeon

Moments later a Red Kite spiralled lazily over, giving some nice views as it did so. As I carried on I managed to see another 2 high up Red Kites passing over.

Red Kite

Red Kite

Red Kite

 As I paused along the top path and had a scan across I could see 8 Common Buzzards spiralling in a thermal high above me and another 6 spiralling in another thermal. They were very high but a pleasure to see. A pair of the local Common Buzzards were calling away and tumbling around each other in the sky.

Common Buzzards

Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Whitethroat song filled the air and a small group of Linnet were busy amongst the grasses as I came down to the lower path. Comma butterflies and Peacock butterflies were flitting around in the sunshine. I came across a Long-tailed Tit collecting food to take back to the nest and it gave some superb views as it flitted from perch to perch.

Long-tailed Tit

Long-tailed Tit

A pair of Blackcap were busily collecting nesting material and gave some nice, if brief, views as they did so. I hope that they are successful in their nesting.

male Blackcap

female Blackcap

I finished an enjoyable visit with the sound of the pair of Common Buzzards calling away.