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Red kite distribution

  • 22-03-2025 07:34PM
    #1
    snowstreams
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,344 ✭✭✭


    Is it possible that I saw two red kites eating worms at the Loughrea driving range in Galway today?
    They looked just like the red kites that I’ve seen in Wicklow in the past but I’ve never seen them this far west.
    At first I thought they might have been Harris hawks but I could see their wing patterns matched red kites.
    my only other theory is that they are juvenile buzzards with different colouring on their feathers?

    Tagged:


Comments

  • #2
    OpenYourEyes
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 3,080 Mod ✭✭✭✭OpenYourEyes


    If you had said one, there'd be a chance (though still much less likely than Buzzard). The fact that you saw two I'd be confident they weren't Red Kites. They're still very restricted to the east, though occasionally a bird goes wandering further west.



  • #3
    magicbastarder
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 52,170 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    interesting, i'd known about buzzards and worms, but did not know they were also part of the red kite diet:

    "invertebrates such as earthworms form an important part of the diet, especially in spring."

    (from wikipedia).



  • #4
    The Continental Op
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,220 ✭✭✭The Continental Op


    Think I saw one on the coast nr Dungarvan Waterford at the end of last summer. The usual forked tail id. Out in car so couldn't stop, looked around same area later but nothing.

    Wake me up when it's all over.



  • #5
    snowstreams
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,344 ✭✭✭snowstreams


    I was annoyed I didn't have a binoculars with me. I got a few short clips of them but they were just taking up a few pixels.

    Do red kites associate with buzzards? One of them had white markings very similar to a red kites rather than the larger white markings of a buzzards. I didn't see the other one flying though.

    But I was thinking that young buzzards have different plumage that could maybe be mistaken for red kites.

    I uploaded the best (but still terrible) clip I had to YouTube.

    https://youtube.com/shorts/f7hE_QyjF8s?si=e07c6ewGHpeThLIT



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