I took the above pictures at Bellymack Hill Farm where Red Kites have been congregating since the first year that they were reintroduced to Galloway. This may have been due to the prevailing SW winds which approach the hillside and create updrafts of air, enabling kites to ride the air effortlessly above the hill. The feeding station allows on lookers to get a close firsthand experience of these gregarious birds when they come in to feed.
Red Kites are distinctive because of their forked tail and striking colour - predominantly chestnut red with white patches under the wings and a pale grey head.
They have a wingspan of nearly two metres (about five-and-a-half-feet), but a relatively small body weight of 2 - 3 Ibs.
This means the bird is incredibly agile, and can stay in the air for many hours with hardly a beat of its wings.
Red Kites are neither particularly strong nor aggressive despite being large birds.
Primarily a scavenger and an opportunist; it profits from sheep carrion but is not capable of opening up sheep or lamb carcasses by itself and has to wait until more powerful birds such as ravens or buzzards have made the first inroads before it will attempt to feed.
Red Kites are however predators and take a wide variety of live prey, ranging from earthworms to small mammals, amphibians and birds.
Information from http://www.redkites.co.uk/
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