One of the great wildlife success stories of recent decades has been the Red Kite. Persecution in the 19th and early 20th centuries decimated the UK population. Once, you had to travel to west Wales to stand a chance of seeing the few remaining birds. Then in the early '90's a reintroduction program began in the Chilterns. There are now so many Red Kites in the Chilterns that their numbers cannot be reliably counted. The birds have spread and other reintroduction programs followed, elsewhere in the country. Kites are now an increasingly common site in Huntingdonshire. There a few spots to reliably see them, but one of the best is near a scrapyard on the old A1 at Stilton. The scrapyard owners must feed them, because Kites can appear there in large numbers.
I visited one afternoon with blue skies and low sun, hoping for a number of beautifully lit birds. Sadly, feeding time must have been over. There were 6 or so Kites when I first arrived, but this soon thinned down to a couple. I could see more a couple of fields over, but didn't have the time to chase them. Instead I enjoyed the view I had and will go back again to hopefully get the numbers I hoped for.
