Bwlch Nant yr Arian in Wales, daily feeding of red kites on 4 July 2025, video by Bonnie D. Huval
As a break from the news, today is for the birds. Red kites, mostly. They were almost completely killed off in the UK. Thanks to decades of support and recovery work, they are coming back.
Last week my wife, the dogs and I stayed in a caravan park (trailer park) across a road from the nature reserve at Ynyslas in Wales. That’s why my connectivity was poor. We had great weather the entire week. We also had a stunningly close view of a red kite repeatedly swooping low over our caravan, powerful and proud, while a couple of seagulls shouted at it to go away. It ignored the gulls.
Bwlch Nant yr Arian (please don’t ask me to try to pronounce it) is a half hour drive from Ynyslas. Red kites are offered a snack there every afternoon. The red kites begin to gather in the sky as feeding time approaches, and a few birds of other species gather too in the hope of sneaking a morsel.
There is a hide for photographers near where the feeding is done. My wife tried it this year and said catching a photo is almost impossible, the birds are so fast. The main viewing area is across the lake where I was. Our dogs Zola and Bertie kept tugging at my wrist during the excitement. Maybe next time I’ll take a tripod.
Anyway… behold a video of what a young friend around the corner calls a Bird Tornado… and it’s almost entirely red kites, which were essentially wiped out in this country a century ago. There are about 300 nesting pairs in Wales now, about 2000 around the entire UK.
My wife and I did not get still photos of the quality I would like to show you. Take a look at Owen Deutsch Photography to see professional photos of these awesome birds.
A delightful post! The worst of the white race was also responsible for the near extinction of egrets and other birds for making their nuptial feathers and even whole bodies of songbirds into decor for ladies’ hats. It took a group of women to stop this horror. Our Mississippi kites in Oklahoma aren’t as colorful but we enjoy them. In fall they gather in some areas with the stunning swallowtail kites to feast on dragonflies and grasshoppers they catch and eat on the wing. So happy you and V enjoyed your beautiful red kites❤️