A Red Kite screeching just before digging into some not-so-fresh dead chick ;) From Wikipedia: The Red Kite is 60�66 cm long with a 175�195 cm wingspan; males have a weight of 800�1200 g, and females 1000�1300 g. It is an elegant bird, soaring with long wings held at a dihedral, and long forked tail twisting as it changes direction. The body, upper tail and wing coverts are rufous. The white primary flight feathers contrast with the black wing tips and dark secondaries. Apart from the weight difference, the sexes are similar, but juveniles have a buff breast and belly. The call is a thin piping, similar to but less mewling than Common Buzzard. The species nests in trees, often close to other kites; in winter, many kites will roost together. In the spring the nests are obvious at the tops of trees. From a distance they look like rookeries, including the swirling pattern of the birds. Closer to one can see that the birds aren't rooks but kites because of the more slender wings. At signs of danger a mother will signal the young who will "play dead" to the extent that a fox will believe them to be dead and leave them, thinking it can return to eat them later. In the Middle Ages, Red Kites were much more widespread, their scavenging habits making them the refuse collectors of the day, but their numbers have much decreased through illegal persecution and poisoning. Rumours spread amongst the farming community that they were capable of killing sheep, as they were often found scavenging off animal carcasses. In reality, they will only take small live prey as well as carrion, and will rob other birds. Their scavenging nature makes them particularly vulnerable to accidental or deliberate illegal poisoning, where they scavenge the carcass of an animal that has been poisoned, and succumb to the poison themselves. According to a report by the Welsh Kite Trust, the UK is the only country in which the Red Kite population is increasing. Red Kites are decreasing in their three strongholds of Spain, France and Germany, and population increases have stagnated in Sweden and Switzerland. Went to the National Bird of Prey Centre near Gloucestershire with Danny today and got a few nice shots of these magnificent birds (not just Kites...). So i expect i'll be uploading a few "Raptor" shots over the next few days. Thanks for stopping by and taking a look. Enjoy! Rich