Tag Archives: bird of prey

Apr 26 2025
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Red kite, green field

Friday 25th April 2025, 2.35pm (day 4,992)

Red kite, 25/4/25

Red kites (Milvus milvus) were nearly extinct in Britain at the end of the last century but in the 2000s, thanks to some serious efforts on behalf of conservationists, have made a remarkable recovery. If you are aware of the place you might not think that Luton would be one of their strongholds, but that is where this picture was taken, just on the edge of that town. There were a number of them gliding around this afternoon seeking prey, and clearly, Luton is not a great place to be a fieldmouse.

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Jul 24 2024
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Kestrel hunting in Cutacre Park

Tuesday 23rd July 2024, 6.25pm (day 4,716)

Kestrel hunting, 23/7/24

Went on a walk that was neither particularly scenic nor particularly straightforward, but it did have one saving grace: this beauty hovering over the grass of Cutacre Park, between Bolton and Wigan. What must the mouse feel? Does it know its hunter is up there, waiting for it to poke its head out of hiding just for that one crucial second?

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Jul 15 2023
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Golden eagle in flight

Friday 14th July 2023, 1.05pm (day 4,341)

Golden eagle, 14/7/23

Back in 2012, in the Lake District, I pictured a vague blob in the far distance that may or may not have been a golden eagle. But this one is definite. You may, of course, live in a part of the world where these noble creatures hang out on street corners, but that’s not the case in Great Britain — except, it seems, in the far north of Scotland, where this huge bird took off from some trees nearby as I passed and flapped lazily overhead for a while. Until uploading the pic later and checking the details I wasn’t sure of the species, but the wingtip feathers are the giveaway: an eagle it is.

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Nov 27 2022
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Red kite

Friday 25th November 2022, 2.00pm (day 4,110)

Red kite, 25/11/22

Certainly a red kite, a species of bird that was close to becoming extinct in the UK some decades ago, but thanks to a number of programmes of reintroduction, now making a fine recovery. I caught a number of these on camera in Wales some years ago, but those were coming to an organised feeding station. This one was as wild as they come, soaring on the thermals above a road in Lincolnshire. It turned into the sunlight just as I had it in the sights.

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Jan 01 2022
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Kestrel, New Year’s Eve

Friday 31st December 2021, 2.10pm (day 3,781)

Kestrel, 31/12/21

Out on a walk on the hillside above our house, and my father-in-law Dave acted as the ‘spotter’ for this one, pointing out the kestrel that was hovering above the grassland, hunting for mice or sparrows. Obviously wanting its profile done, it then landed and obligingly waited on this lamp-post for a minute, so I could get the shot (that’s the old, ruined Heptonstall church behind).

A Happy New Year to you all. I mention no politics here; I will merely say that had the shot of another bird-of-prey, the hawk on 5th March, been just that little bit better in focus, that would have been my favourite shot of 2021. However, instead I will give it to the minutes-old lamb captured on April 11th.

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Mar 06 2021
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

The hunter and the prey

Friday 5th March 2021, 7.55am (day 3,480)

Hawk with prey, 5/3/21

Walking down to the station in the morning I noticed a commotion by the side of the road, heard desperate cawing. I thought at first it was a bird with a broken wing, flapping around, maybe having been hit by a car. Then I saw what it actually was. It will be forever regretted that the focus ended up on the wall and not the hawk; I only got the one shot off before it picked up the starling (I think) in its talons and flew off to enjoy its breakfast. But other than that slight lack of focus I can’t complain too much about this one. Surely there is a detectable look of pride on its face. I am also reminded of this picture: which William Blake/Thomas Harris fans will recognise.

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Oct 27 2019
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Geoff, the falcon

Sunday 27th October 2019, 2.10pm (day 2,985)

Peregrine, 27/10/19

When we arranged to go to Haworth this lunchtime to celebrate Clare’s birthday (a day late) I did not expect that this would also lead to coming face to face with this very handsome creature. Not to mention several other of his fellow raptors — owls, mainly — in a marquee in the pub beer garden. A photographic opportunity too good to miss. This peregrine falcon is called Geoff, apparently. I wonder how he feels about that.

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May 15 2015
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Red kites feeding

Thursday 14th May 2015, 3.00pm (day 1,358)

Red kites, 14/5/15

For the second Thursday in a row I went off on a trip outside England and into another nation of the UK — this time Wales, its first appearance on the blog. I am visiting a colleague in Aberystwyth, a town with more books per head of population than anywhere in the world, apparently. Later in the day she took me to a place in the hills above the town, a centre devoted to maintaining the population of red kites (Milvus milvus), handsome birds of prey. The birds gather to be fed every day at 3pm. This was my best attempt at capturing the flock as they came down and feasted on the bounty, they all move damn quickly and I don’t have the equipment to freeze their movement in the way a pro would. But I like the one on the bottom left, caught looking at the camera.

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