Red Kites

We went to Gigirin Farm, in Powys, yesterday – to see the Red Kites the farmer there feeds every day.  They were incredibly difficult to photograph – they’re so graceful that they appear to be floating slowly but in actual fact, they move VERY fast, so just as you get a focus on them, they’ve gone!!  So, in addition to learning how to use the new camera AND the manual focus, I didn’t get many reasonable shots at all, but here’s what I did get.

Can you see the meat in the birds’ claws?  Poor crows and ravens didn’t really get a look in – they just had to stand and watch!

Just look at those incredible wings!  Absolutely stunning.

I’d really recommend a visit if you like watching birds. The bits I like best are when they freefall and almost bang into each other – deliberately – but just miss by a hair’s breadth.  Just as good as watching the Red Arrows, lol.  They also pair for life, so you’ll see two of them soaring and dropping together quite often.  It’s a lovely sight.  You can just imagine lying on the grass, watching them playing on the thermals and time would just stand perfectly still because you’re transported elsewhere for a little while.  Fantastic!

Here are a couple of the expert’s photos, lol.

Hope I get to be this good with a little more practice and a lot more patience.