Yes, I was back in the deep south Shropshire, without John Bushnell, looking for Red Kites. I didn't have to look too far to find a single, and on one occassion, 3 Red Kites together, on almost every bend I took while driving the car! In the end they outnumbered Buzzard, today anyway, with a total of 12+birds, included9 together playing in the gale force SW in the Stiperstones area. I had no idea that the kites would take off like this in Shropshire after seeing my first one in the county near Oswestry in September '88. It is so good to see this graceful bird in the Shropshire hills like this and I can only sethem increasing.
The overcast skies didn't help my great photography!
Red Kite performing well at the Stiperstones
6 of the 9 Red Kites playing in the gale force winds at the Stiperstones
This Buzzard was hanging in the wind just above the road
The 4 adult Whooper Swan were still at Cound with 60 Mute Swan and a single Black Swan all the way from down under!
All the swans were sharing the field with a wild Black Swan. Wild, my ass?!
John Bushnell returned home to London this morning after birding with me, in Kent and Shropshire, for nearly three weeks. In the latter county, he saw birds he had not seen for years, over twenty five years in the case of Willow Tit, and thought how diversed the county was, with the moorlands, fens, forests, hills, meres, etc. He also thought it was great that the birds that we were conecting with, were only a stones throw away from the car. In some cases, Red Grouse, kites, Crossbill, Whooper Swan, from inside the car! Overall, he had a great time! I too had a very good time with John and look forward to seeing him on Scilly in a few months time.
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