Odd bird behaviour

[burnhal]

Not strictly a question but please reply with any strange bird behaviour you may have seen. Just wanted to let the birdy people know of todays sighting. Driving near High Wycombe- Chilterns (red kite country). Saw a tractor ploughing a field- fair amount of birds following it- then thought they were rather large- turned out to be over a dozen kites following the plough. Now I know raptors will quite happily eat earthworms but I certainly never expected to see them following a tractor picking up the titbits!!

[Kleiber]

Red kites are more scavengers than birds of prey (they used to live in London, a few hundred years ago & scavenge all the rubbish that people threw out on to the streets!). Although they're big birds, their talons aren't that strong, so they can't bring down large prey like, for example, a buzzard can. Their main food is small mammals, frogs, worms & the like, and, of course, carrion. I must say, I think it must've been lovely to see them following the tractor! We've got loads of kites here in west Wales, but I've never seen them following a tractor - we don't have much arable farming here, so that's why.

[Kleiber]

Sorry, burnhal - you probably knew that anyway! I was just waxing lyrical about kites (I love them!!). K xx

[Cetti]

Stop it, both of you.....going on about your lovely Kites and knowing the suffering you're causing to us lesser mortals further down south!!!!
Although.. we did have one over our house last year...plus a mile away someone spotted A Black Kite...so they are on their way, thank goodness.

[Kleiber]

Hi, Cetti & burnhal. here's a good one for you - imagine the scene; small, ginger cat in the middle of field, large crow about 6 ft away from him. Cat's tail is going like a dino & crow is cawing like mad at cat... Chickens are going potty at all this racket. Crow slowly advances on cat. Cat thinks discretion is better part of valour and legs it! I've never seen anything so funny - Monty was really put out!!

[bensmum]

You are so lucky to live where you can see kites - I have never heard of them following a tractor before though!
Where I am we get lots of buzzards (I love to hear them), kestrels by the dozen, sparrowhawks and we have had a peregrine nesting close by although I didn't get to see it.

kleiber - I laughed at your cat story. Mine have stalked pheasants and I even caught Daisy eyeing up the horse in the field behind me once but I would have loved to have seen a crow see her off.